Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Beijing on January 26 for a meeting of the ‘Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister’ mechanism between India and China, a step indicating the two neighbours are trying to revive their relationship after a four-year break following a military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Misri will visit China from January 26 to January 27 confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs.In a little over one month period, this is the second most high-profile Indian official visiting China.
Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval visited China last month.
During his visit, he met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi under the framework of the special representatives’ dialogue on the boundary dispute.
Modi-Xi meeting
Misri is another top Indian official who has been visiting Beijing since Indian PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in Russia in October on the sidelines of BRICS to normalise bilateral ties.
Galwan Clash
The Galwan skirmish erupted from a dispute over a temporary bridge built by the Chinese in the Galwan River valley in Ladakh.The face-off occurred in near-complete darkness and freezing temperatures, leading to fatalities as soldiers fell or were pushed from ridges.
Twenty Indian soldiers were martyred in the clash, while China officially acknowledged four casualties, although reports indicate higher Chinese losses, as soldiers drowned in the choppy waters of the Galwan River.
