S Jaishankar Meets Chinese Minister Wang Yi at SCO Summit in Kazakhstan

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The two leaders had a warm handshake and chatted before posing for a picture together.

India and China have been in a military standoff since May 2020. In March, both countries exchanged views on achieving complete disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western sector of the India-China border areas.

Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation at the 24th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State. Upon his arrival in Astana, he was welcomed by Kazakhstan Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakaye. Jaishankar also visited Pushkin Park, where he paid tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi with members of the Indian community.

Jaishankar thanked Kazakhstan’s Deputy PM Murat Nurtleu for the hospitality and arrangements for the SCO Summit. They discussed India’s expanding Strategic Partnership and increasing engagement with Central Asia, as well as regional and global issues.

During the SCO Summit, leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss regional and international issues.