Swaraj set to meet Chinese counterpart before Modi’s visit

BEIJING: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will hold key talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meet in Beijing over the coming weekend.

Swaraj’s meeting with Wang — recently elevated to the post of state councillor, among the top diplomatic positions in China’s hierarchy — will culminate her two-day visit to Beijing beginning on Saturday.

It could not be ascertained whether Swaraj will also interact with her Pakistani counterpart, Khawaja Asif, who is expected to be present at the meet.

She is likely to meet her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Swaraj will be in China on April 22-23 and in Mongolia during April 24-25.

Her visit to Beijing — the first after Wang’s promotion — is being seen as a crucial component of efforts by the two neighbours to reset ties following a considerable cooling of their relationship during and in the aftermath of last year’s military standoff at Doklam near the Sikkim border.

Besides laying the groundwork for the SCO Summit in the coastal city of Qingdao in June, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swaraj and Wang are expected to take stock of bilateral ties.

SHE IS LIKELY TO MEET HER RUSSIAN COUNTERPART SERGEY LAVROV. SWARAJ WILL BE IN CHINA ON APRIL 2223 AND IN MONGOLIA DURING APRIL 2425.