Overview

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi on 18 August for the 24th Special Representatives’ talks with NSA Ajit Doval, a bilateral meeting with EAM Jaishankar and a call on Prime Minister Modi.
• Discussions concentrated on drafting fresh confidence-building measures designed to restore peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stressed that only joint de-escalation and the pullback of tens of thousands of troops can sustain positive momentum in India-China ties.
• Despite disengagements at key friction points, both sides continue to deploy roughly 50,000–60,000 troops in eastern Ladakh.
• The visit lays the groundwork for Prime Minister Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on 31 August–1 September against a backdrop of US-India trade tensions.