Indian and Chinese Foreign Ministers meet to discuss disputed issues

New Delhi : Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi. Many important topics like India’s inclusion in the NSG, China objection at UN to initiate action on Maulana Masood Azhar and also on the proposed economic corridor in PoK are likely to have been discussed during the 3 hours meeting between Yi and Swaraj.

Media has been speculating the objectives of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India. China expects India not to side with China’s opponents on the South China Sea issue in the upcoming G20 summit to be held in China in September. Chinese Foreign Minister is expected to get India on board on the issue of South China Sea during this visit. China is also apprehensive about proposed agreement on ‘Logistics Exchange’ between India and the US which would allow either country to use each other’s military bases. This agreement is an alarm bell for China and the Chinese foreign minister Yi’s visit seems to have also been arranged in the background of this agreement.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has explicitly expressed India’s position on various important topics. Sushma Swaraj is believed to have specifically expressed displeasure on China’s objection to India’s inclusion in the NSG. Sushma Swaraj was also critical on China’s objection at the UN against initiation of action on Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of terrorist organisation ‘Jaish-e- Mohammad’. Sushma Swaraj also questioned the legitimacy of China’s collaboration with Pakistan on the proposed ‘economic corridor’ in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

India had raised its concerns on these important and disputed topics in the past as well but, China had opted to ignore India’s expectation on them. The situation, however, has changed now, with most of the neighbouring countries of China taking aggressive posture against them with the exception of North Korea. Vietnam and Philippines which are largely supported by US, Japan, Australia have openly confronted China’s arrogance. As a result, China has started feeling the need for India’s support. Lately, on one hand the Chinese Government news publication through articles has suggested that the possibility of India’s entry into NSG is not closed, while on the other, it has also published news articles suggesting India to stay away from the South China Sea issue.