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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in China on 21 April on a four-day visit to take part in the foreign ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
This was their first meeting after Wang Yi was elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be foreign minister.
Their meeting is part of efforts by the two countries to step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve relations, official sources told PTI before the meeting.
Following the Dokalam standoff last year both countries increased dialogue to scale down tensions and improve relations with talks at various levels.
Swaraj and Wang are meeting in the immediate backdrop of the recent meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top official of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) Yang Jiechi in Shanghai.
(With inputs from PTI.)
Swaraj and Yi addressed a joint press conference and discussed a host of bilateral issues and ways to step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve the relationship.
Addressing the press conference, Swaraj said that the two countries had agreed to work together on issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable development, and global healthcare.
She also added that China had confirmed to share data on the Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers, calling it a ‘welcome move.’
You can read the full statement here.
Addressing a joint press statement with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold informal summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan on 27 and 28 April.
China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui told reporters that he hoped an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping later this week in the Chinese city of Wuhan will enhance "good chemistry" between the two leaders and strengthen bilateral ties.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organistaion, Sushma Swaraj asserted that it is important for the students of China to make friendship between the two nations stronger.
“Even two foreign ministers cannot make the friendship of our countries more strong than the students of China, who love the Hindi language,” she said. At the event in Beijing, Swaraj said:
Sushma Swaraj met Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov in Beijing. The two leaders exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade & investment, pharma, IT, tourism and culture, as well as on the regional situation.
Earlier during the day, she met Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev to discuss cooperation in trade & investment, IT, defence, films, HRD, culture & other areas.
On Day 2 of her visit, Sushma Swaraj met Wang Qishan, Vice President of China at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asks Indians and Chinese to learn each other's language to overcome communication barriers, reported All India Radio News.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, reported ANI.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in China late on 23 April to take part in the preparatory meeting ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to be held in June.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attend the meetings of the defence and foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), reported PTI.
Both meetings are being held in concurrence.
Sitharaman who arrived here last night attended the defence ministers' meeting and Swaraj took part in the foreign ministers' meeting.
The two meetings were being held as part of the preparations for the SCO summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj emphasised that India is committed to work with SCO.
She spoke of the various challenges that the world is facing today. Addressing the issue of terrorism she said:
Swaraj asserted that the fight to combat terrorism is not just to eliminate terrorism but to take strong actions against the states that encourage, support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups.
Stressing upon the importance of a more open, inclusive, equitable and balanced economic globalisation, Swaraj went on to say that protectionism in all its forms should be rejected.
Read the full statement here.
“A young and dynamic India, with an economy growing at 7-8% per year, joins the SCO, seeking to usher in a new phase of cooperation,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Beijing.
The defence minister talked about the decentralisation of power, global terror and how the SCO will help strengthen India’s bilateral ties while urging Asian nations to work towards peace and stability. She also said that India will attend the Peace Mission joint military exercise being organised by SCO in Russia later this year.
Sitharaman also said that any kind of support to terrorism is no longer tolerable.
Sitharaman also spoke about the situation in Afghanistan as a recent bomb blast in a voting centre in Kabul killed more than 50 people.
India and China’s defence ministers held a bilateral meeting with Chinese after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Beijing.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Mongolia on Tuesday after wrapping up her visit to China. She was received by Deputy Foreign Minister of Mongolia B Battsetseg.
Sushma Swaraj’s visit will be the first visit of an Indian external affairs minister to Mongolia in the past 42 years.
India did not endorse China's controversial Belt and Road Initiative at the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting while the rest of the eight-member bloc backed the pet project of President Xi Jinping, PTI reported.
"The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reiterated their support for the 'Belt and Road Initiative' proposed by China," said a joint statement issued by SCO Foreign Ministers at the end of their one-day meeting.
India and Mongolia , on Wednesday, discussed economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, energy, services and IT and agreed to explore possibility of launching direct air connectivity between New Delhi and the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a joint media briefing with Mongolian Foreign Minister D Tsogtbaatar, after the 6th Session of the Indian-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation in Ulaanbaatar, said the two countries agreed to explore ways to identify new areas of cooperation in all sectors of mutual interest and to enhance bilateral trade and investments.
During the Indian-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation, the two sides discussed pressing global challenges, particularly the scourge of terrorism and agreed to collaborate bilaterally and in international arena to thwart the designs of those who extend support to terrorist outfits.
The two sides also reviewed the progress in the ongoing collaborative projects, including the refinery project selected by the Government of Mongolia for implementation with the support of USD one billion Indian Line of Credit.
Calling upon the Mongolian business community to "seize economic opportunities arising out of "India's growth", she said the two countries have agreed to remove institutional and logistical impediments to boost trade, tourism and people to people contacts.
"In this regard, we also agreed to explore possibility of launching direct air connectivity between our two capitals," she said.
India and Mongolia have close cooperation in trade and economy, science, health, agriculture, culture, education, communication and tourism. The two countries are also working closely to ensure security and curbing international crimes and terrorism.
The External Affairs Minister on Wednesday, attended the 100th birth anniversary of Kushok Bakula along with other dignitaries. Bakula had served as India's Ambassador to Mongolia from 1990-2000. He also served as a minister in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
In her address at the event, Swaraj spoke about preserving Buddhist heritage and the partnership India and Mongolia share.
“In our engagement with Mongolia, we are revitalising Buddhism as a strong symbol of our civilisational connection transcending into modern times. In our own small way, we are trying to work with our Mongolian friends to protect and preserve our Buddhist heritage”, she added.
Wrapping up her second day in Mongolia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the Indian community in Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday.
The Congress on 25 April alleged that India's national security and strategic interests had been compromised in Doklam with the Narendra Modi government maintaining a "conspiratorial silence" on it during the China visit.
He alleged that both omitted confrontation with China over the building of a new road south of Doklam platform to provide easy access to China to Jhamperi Ridge overlooking the Siliguri Corridor, a gateway to North-Eastern states.
The Congress on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of not confronting China about Doklam conflict during visits of two union ministers – EAM Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Both Sitharaman and Swaraj had attended the meetings of the defence and foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which began at Beijing on Tuesday.
India and Mongolia , on Wednesday also discussed economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, energy, services and IT and agreed to explore possibility of launching direct air connectivity between New Delhi and the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.
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Published: 23 Apr 2018,10:23 AM IST