Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit India to attend G20 meet

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit India later this week to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in the national capital, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Qin is expected to meet his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, where according to reports, they are likely to discuss the border issues and review the outcome of talks at diplomatic and military levels, to resolve the matter.

The Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to New Delhi comes even as the two countries continue efforts to resolve border disputes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh area and attempts of incursion by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

“At the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the G20 foreign ministers conference in New Delhi, India on March 2,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Tuesday.

“As the main forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 should focus on addressing outstanding challenges in the field of international economy and development and play a greater role in promoting world economic recovery and global development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning said.

The Chinese Foreign Minister’s meeting will be a first after his predecessor Wang Yi had visited India in 2019.

Relations between India and China have been uneasy since the Galwan valley standoff in May 2020.

The March 1-2 meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers will be attended by Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, US’ Antony Blinken and the UK’s James Cleverly.

India has invited representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members. meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad countries – the US, India, Australia and Japan – is also scheduled to be held on the sidelines.

–IANS

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