Beijing/New Delhi, Dec 12: India and China held two days of discussions in Beijing this week, during which both sides reviewed planned exchanges and engagements for the coming year. The Indian delegation also stressed the need for early resolution of several pending issues related to export control, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), visited Beijing from December 11–12 and met China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. He also held talks with senior officials, including the Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the MEA, the discussions were “constructive and forward looking”, with both sides acknowledging the importance of strategic guidance from the leaders of the two nations and positively assessing recent progress in stabilising bilateral ties. The focus, it said, remains on promoting people-centric engagements.
The two delegations also reviewed the calendar of bilateral activities scheduled for 2025. During the talks, India emphasised the need for a timely resolution of outstanding export control issues. Regional and global matters of mutual interest were also briefly discussed.
As part of the visit, Ghosh met the Director General (Asian Affairs) of China’s Ministry of Commerce to discuss trade and commercial cooperation.
The engagements come days after India expressed serious concern over the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai International Airport last month. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India expects assurances from China that Indian nationals transiting through its airports will not be selectively targeted or harassed. The detained passenger, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, had alleged that she was held for 18 hours during a scheduled three-hour layover while travelling from London to Japan on November 21.
The MEA has advised Indian citizens to exercise caution while travelling to or transiting through China.
