Chinese FM Wang Yi Visits India Ahead SCO Summit Talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit India from August 18 to 20 to hold the 24th round of Special Representatives' talks on the India-China boundary question with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, alongside a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. This visit marks the first high-level Chinese diplomatic engagement since the 2020 Galwan clash and aims to stabilize bilateral relations ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to China in seven years for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. Recent agreements between India and China include disengagement and resumed patrolling in key border areas along the Line of Actual Control, resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, and plans to resume direct flights suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic. Trade issues are also on the agenda, notably the resumption of Chinese exports of DAP fertilizers and rare earth magnets to India, which have sharply declined. The visit underscores efforts to maintain peace and improve economic ties amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, including recent tensions in India-US relations and ongoing tariff negotiations between the US and China. Both countries aim to foster predictable relations and mutually beneficial cooperation as they prepare for the SCO summit, which is expected to be the largest in scale since the organization's establishment.