Overview
- A six-member CPC International Liaison Department team led by Vice Minister Sun Haiyan met BJP leaders at the party headquarters on January 12, with Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong present.
- On January 13, the same delegation met senior RSS officials in Delhi, with the RSS describing it as a courtesy call and noting that chief Mohan Bhagwat was not present.
- The BJP characterised the discussions as routine inter-party engagement to enhance communication, citing long-standing channels between the BJP and the CPC dating to the 2000s.
- The meetings mark the first formal party-to-party contact since the 2020 Galwan clashes, aligning with the broader thaw after the October 2024 disengagement and steps such as resumed flights, visas, and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
- Congress figures, including Supriya Shrinate, criticised the timing of the engagement, pointing to reports of Chinese construction in the Shaksgam Valley and activity near Arunachal Pradesh.