BEIJING: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will arrive here tomorrow for crucial talks with top Chinese officials amid differences over issues like India’s NSG bid and China’s blocking of efforts to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN.
Jaishankar, who served as the Indian envoy to China from 2009 to 2013, the longest tenure by an Indian diplomat in Beijing, will begin his visit tomorrow by meeting State Councillor Yang Jiechi, Beijing’s Special Representative for India-China border talks, official sources said.
In the Chinese official hierarchy, the State Councillor of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) is regarded as the top diplomat functioning directly under the country’s leadership.
Besides attending an upgraded strategic dialogue with China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui on February 22, Jaishankar is also expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Underlining the significance of the strategic dialogue, which was upgraded during Wang’s visit to New Delhi last year, Chinese side has deputed Zhang, who is also the head of the influential CPC committee of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (AGENCIES)
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