Newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, arrived in New Delhi today to assume office, the Chinese Embassy in India said in a statement.
Officials from the Protocol Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Eritrea’s Ambassador to India Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam, and Minister Ma Jia, Minister Wang Lei, Minister Counselor Chen Jianjun from the Chinese Embassy welcomed Xu Feihong and his wife Tan Yuxiu at the airport.
Xu Feihong is the 17th Chinese Ambassador to India. The previous Ambassador, Sun Weidong, left in October 2022 after serving three years in Delhi and took over as China’s deputy Foreign Minister upon his return.
Sun Weidong departed Delhi at a time when India and China were trying to normalise ties through multiple channels following the Ladakh border clash in 2020.
Since April 2020, India and China have engaged in several rounds of diplomatic and military-level meetings on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.
Earlier in March, India and China exchanged views on achieving complete disengagement and resolving issues along the LAC in the Western Sector of India-China border areas, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official press release.
“The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on 27 March 2024 in Beijing. Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the release read.
“The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the release said.
After the meeting, both sides agreed to keep diplomatic and military channels open to uphold peace and tranquility in the border areas.