Will Wang Yi’s likely visit lead to a thaw in India-China relations?

 

On March 14, Nepalese media widely reported that Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi would visit Kathmandu on March 26 for a two-day visit. He would call on Prime Minister Deuba and hold talks with Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka. The visit could be related to signing documents related to projects that fall under China’s mega-connectivity Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Wang appears to be embarking on a pan-South Asia tour. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed having received a request from China for the visit. If New Delhi concurs, Wang’s visit would be the first high-level visit from China following the massive troops build along the Line of Actual Control after May 2020, followed by unarmed combat between the Indian and PLA troops in the Galwan valley area in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed and an unspecified number of Chinese troops lost their lives.

But apart from the tensions along the border, especially in Eastern Ladakh, several other background factors seem to be driving the Chinese diplomatic outreach. Nevertheless, border tensions will weigh heavily in the minds of both discussants given the statement by Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, that there can be no “business as usual” until there is complete disengagement and de-escalations of the massive troop buildup along the LAC.

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