EAM Jaishankar Meets Chinese President Xi Jinping Alongside SCO Foreign Ministers

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is on his first official visit to China in five years, during which he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. The meeting marks a significant diplomatic engagement as India and China work to stabilize and reset their bilateral ties following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh, which severely strained relations.

Jaishankar is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting. He was joined by fellow SCO foreign ministers when he called on President Xi. In a social media post, Jaishankar stated that he conveyed greetings from Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Xi Jinping. He also updated the Chinese leader on recent developments in India-China relations and expressed appreciation for the continued guidance from the countries' top leadership.

This was the first direct engagement between the Indian External Affairs Minister and the Chinese President since the deadly Galwan conflict in June 2020. Tensions had escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, resulting in casualties and a complete breakdown in normal diplomatic engagement. A major breakthrough came in October 2024 when both nations reached a disengagement agreement at the final two friction points in Ladakh—Demchok and Depsang. Following this, both countries agreed to resume dormant bilateral dialogue mechanisms to improve trust and cooperation.

In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Monday, Jaishankar emphasized the importance of continuing the de-escalation process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He acknowledged that progress had been made over the past nine months toward normalizing ties but noted that further steps were needed, especially in managing the border situation. Jaishankar stressed that differences should not turn into disputes and that healthy competition between the two countries must not escalate into conflict.

Additionally, Jaishankar urged China to avoid "restrictive trade measures and roadblocks." This was seen as a veiled reference to China’s export restrictions on critical minerals, which have impacted India’s access to essential resources and disrupted certain trade flows.

Jaishankar’s visit follows Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Qingdao in June 2025 to attend the SCO defence ministers’ meeting. That visit was the first by an Indian defence minister to China in over ten years and set the stage for enhanced dialogue between the two countries. Together, these high-level exchanges are believed to be laying the foundation for a possible visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China later this year for the SCO Leaders’ Summit.

Despite the diplomatic outreach, several contentious issues remain. China’s support for Pakistan, particularly during India’s Operation Sindoor launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, and the sensitive matter of the Dalai Lama’s succession continue to be major points of friction. Additionally, India is increasingly concerned about the growing strategic closeness between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which could impact regional balance.

Jaishankar’s visit signifies an important step toward re-engagement between the two Asian giants, but underlying tensions and unresolved issues suggest that normalization will require sustained dialogue, mutual trust, and careful diplomacy moving forward.