EAM Jaishankar meets Chinese FM Wang Yi in Kazakhstan

EAM Jaishankar meets Chinese FM Wang Yi in Kazakhstan New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar has met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. This is the first high-level meeting after the formation of the Modi 3.0 government in New Delhi. EAM Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart were seen having a warm handshake as they chatted before posing for a picture together. The meeting between between the two leaders holds significance in light of a four-year-long frozen relations between the two countries over the standoff in Eastern Ladakh. India and Chinese relations hit a low except for trade ever since the Eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020. The standoff was followed by violent clashes in the Pangong Tso (lake) area near Galwan. Since May 2020, both India and China have held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff with the 22nd meeting due to be held soon. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the event and India was represented by EAM Jaishankar. --IANS int/dan