BEIJING: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale arrived here on Sunday to hold talks on key issues concerning India-China relations with top Chinese officials and Foreign Minister Wang Yi as the two countries grapple with a host of issues, including Beijing’s continuous attempts to block efforts to list Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist”.
Gokhale is scheduled to hold bilateral consultations with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou on Monday and call on Wang, who is also the State Councillor, a high-level post in the hierarchy of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), official sources said.
India-China relations gathered positive momentum after last year’s informal summit between PM ModiModi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
However, China’s move to block Pakistan-based Azhar’s designation as a “global terrorist” following the February 14 Pulawama terror attack carried out by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, caused disappointment on the Indian side.
India has protested to China over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Wang YiWang also said differences over the BRI would not come in the way of the development of India-China relations and they are preparing for a Wuhan-style summit this year. (PTI)
