China’s foreign minister Wang Yi meets PM, Sushma
13 Aug 2016
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, who is on a three-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj this morning to hold talks on a range of on key regional and bilateral issues.
The Indian foreign ministry said the leaders were expected to discuss various issues of mutual interest, including the upcoming multilateral meetings - the G-20 Summit to be held in China and the BRICS Summit.
Wang Yi started his visit on Friday from Goa, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 8th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit that India is hosting in October.
Besides visiting the BRICS venue, he met the local leadership, including Goa governor Mridula Sinha and chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
The visit comes amid strained ties between the two nations after China stalled India's bid for membership to the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group in June, on the ground that India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The group comprises 48 countries that trade in sophisticated nuclear technology and material. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had told Parliament that the government plans to continue engaging with Beijing to win its support.
China's state-run news agency Xinhua had said India must stop blaming China for its failed attempt. "New Delhi should not be downhearted as the door to the NSG is not tightly closed," said Xinhua, even as it repeated that the group should not be open to countries that have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Wang's visit also comes days after Chinese troops "transgressed" the border on land and by air in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
In Kolkata, a Chinese diplomat said Wang's visit shows the "maturity" of bilateral relationship between the two countries.
"The shared interests far outweigh the differences. The visit shows the maturity of our relationship. It shows that there is a lot of scope to continue with discussions and dialogues," Chinese consul-general in Kolkata Ma Zhanwu said.