Nirmala Sitharaman Likely to Visit China in April

The minister’s Beijing trip is an attempt to stabilise Indo-China ties after the Doklam stand-off last year.

Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to visit China in late April.

(Photo: PTI)

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to visit China in late April, in a bid to boost Indo-China ties, Livemint reported on 12 March.

Speaking on the sidelines of the first International Conference on Military Ammunition in New Delhi on Monday, Sitharaman said, “Yes it’s going to be probably in late April.”

The dates of the visit are still being worked out, the report mentioned.

The minister’s Beijing trip is an attempt to stabilise the ties between the two countries since their engagement in the 73-day long military standoff in Dokalam in Bhutan last year. The Indian government has already taken requisite measures in that direction.

According to the 2 March report in The Indian Express, Foreign Secretary Gokhale requested Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha in a note to the effect dated 22 February to issue a “classified circular advisory advising all Ministries/Departments of Government of India as well as state governments not to accept any invitation or to participate in the proposed commemorative events,” following which, the Tibetan government-in-exile cancelled one of two events planned to commemorate 60 years of the Dalai Lama in exile in New Delhi.

(With inputs from Livemint)