Sushma Swaraj meets Wang to discuss India-China ties

Beijing, Apr 22: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss bilateral ties and step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve the relationship.

Swaraj arrived on a four-day visit to take part in the foreign ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This was their first meeting after Wang was elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be foreign minister.

In her initial remarks, Swaraj congratulated Wang on ebing elevated as state councillor and the special representative for the India-China boundary talks. Their meeting is part of efforts by the two countries to step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve relations, official sources here told PTI before the meeting.

Following the Dokalam standoff last year both countries increased dialogue to scale down tensions and improve relations with talks at various levels. Swaraj and Wang are meeting in the immediate backdrop of the recent meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top official of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) Yang Jiechi in Shanghai.

PTI