China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit India later this month, in what could be the first visit by any top Chinese leader since the horrific clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. He'll most likely be in Nepal before heading to India. Without much result, India and China have continued military-level negotiations to resolve the Ladakh problem.
Following a violent fight in the Pangong lake area, a border standoff in eastern Ladakh began on May 5, 2020. After the Galwan Valley skirmishes on June 15, 2020, in which at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed, the conflict worsened. According to a report, 42 Chinese soldiers were killed during the battles, not four.
Minister Wang Yi stated earlier this month that China and India's bilateral relations had suffered "some setbacks" in recent years, and that their disputes over the boundary issue should be resolved through equal footing negotiations for a "fair and equitable" settlement. In an apparent allusion to the US, he also stated that some forces have always wanted to inflame tensions between China and India.
"Recent years have seen certain setbacks in China-India relations that do not serve the core interests of the two nations and peoples," he said in answer to a question about the border dispute and relations between the two neighbours.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar remarked at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany this year that India's ties with China are currently in a "very challenging phase" as a result of Beijing's violation of border agreements. "The status of the partnership will be defined by the situation at the border," he added.
Last month, Mr Jaishankar stated that India is in talks with China over the Ladakh border problem, emphasising that India will not agree to any change in the status quo or any attempt to unilaterally alter the region's Line of Actual Control (LAC).
"We are unequivocal in our refusal to accept any alteration in the status quo. Any attempt by one side to unilaterally change the LAC. So, regardless of how complicated it is, how long it takes, or how difficult it is, I believe that clarity is what leads us" during a conversation at a think tank in Paris, he added.
China and India should be "partners rather than enemies," according to Minister Wang Yi, who is also the State Councilor.