External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. This is Jaishankar’s first visit to China in five years. The meeting comes as India and China try to improve their relationship after the deadly border clash in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in 2020.

Jaishankar is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting. During the meeting, he spoke about recent developments between the two countries.

"Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO Foreign Ministers. Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard," Jaishankar tweeted.

This was the first meeting between Indian and Chinese top leaders since the Galwan Valley clash. In October 2024, both countries agreed to disengage from the final two friction points at Demchok and Depsang. Since then, efforts have been made to restart dialogue between the two sides, which had stopped after the border tension.

Calls for de-escalation and fair trade

On Monday, Jaishankar also held a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He said that both countries should continue working to reduce tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"We have made good progress in the past nine months towards the normalisation of our bilateral relations... It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation," he said.

He also raised concerns over trade issues. Jaishankar asked China to avoid "restrictive trade measures and roadblocks," referring to China’s limits on exports of important minerals. He stressed that differences between countries should not turn into disputes and competition should not lead to conflict.

His visit comes after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited China in June, which was the first such visit by an Indian defence minister in more than 10 years.

The leaders are preparing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s possible visit to China later this year for the SCO Leaders’ Summit. However, issues like China’s support for Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor and the Dalai Lama’s succession remain major challenges in improving ties.

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