EAM Jaishankar to Visit China in First Trip Since 2020 Galwan Standoff — What Does It Mean for India-China Ties?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will arrive in Beijing on Sunday evening, marking his first trip to China in five years.

The External Affairs Minister, currently on a two-nation tour of Singapore and China, will reach Beijing after concluding his visit to Singapore.

His visit comes at a crucial time, as both India and China attempt to improve their strained relations following the deadly military clashes between their armies in the Galwan Valley in 2020.

Jaishankar is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for a bilateral meeting on Monday.

The two last met in February on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Johannesburg, where both sides emphasized the need for mutual trust and cooperation.

Jaishankar will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tianjin on July 15.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed this stating, “EAM will visit the People's Republic of China to participate in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting (CFM) being held in Tianjin. EAM will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CFM.”

This marks Jaishankar’s first visit to China since relations between the two countries deteriorated after the Galwan clash.

His visit follows recent trips to China by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who attended SCO-related meetings in June.

Wang Yi is also expected to visit India next month for talks with NSA Ajit Doval, as part of the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism aimed at resolving the decades-old boundary dispute.

What's The Agenda?

The External Affairs Minister’s visit also comes amid China’s recent trade actions, including delayed or halted exports of key goods to India—such as rare earth magnets, fertilizers, and tunnel boring machines intended for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Additionally, China’s continued support, both covert and overt, of its close ally Pakistan, particularly during periods of military tension with India following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor, remains a significant point of contention. These issues threaten to overshadow any constructive dialogue during the SCO meeting.

The SCO forum itself may present its own set of challenges. Last month, India refused to sign a joint statement at the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting after it failed to include a reference to the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. India had pushed for strong language on terrorism, but one country, believed to be Pakistan, objected to it.

A similar deadlock may emerge at the foreign ministers’ meeting, potentially complicating Jaishankar’s diplomatic efforts.

The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. The 25th SCO Heads of State Council meeting is scheduled to be held in Tianjin later this year. India chaired the SCO Presidency in 2023, while Pakistan hosted the SCO Leaders’ Summit in 2024.

The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff was the most serious India-China border clash in over four decades, resulting in casualties on both sides and plunging bilateral relations to a historic low.

The decision to revive the SR dialogue and other dormant diplomatic channels was reportedly made during a brief exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan, Russia, in October last year.

There have been some signs of progress, most notably the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after nearly five years.

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