Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese President Xi Jinping held an official meeting, the Indian diplomat wrote on Tuesday on his social media account.
A summit of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) member states was held in Tianjin, China. Ahead of the Council of Ministers meeting, Xi Jinping held a meeting with the heads of foreign affairs departments.
“This morning in Beijing, I met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and my fellow foreign ministers of the SCO countries,” Jaishankar said.
According to him, during his conversation with Xi Jinping, he conveyed greetings from Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting also discussed prospects for the development of bilateral relations between India and China. Xi Jinping noted that for 24 years since the SCO’s founding, China has consistently given special attention to this organisation as part of its foreign policy in the region.
Xi also emphasised Beijing’s commitment to strengthening the SCO, ensuring regional security and stability, and promoting the growth and prosperity of the member countries.
The Chinese President added that since China assumed the chairmanship last July, the country has been actively promoting initiatives, strengthening co-operation and moving steadily towards the joint development of the organisation.
Speaking about the upcoming SCO summit in Tianjin, Xi Jinping said that he plans to hold talks with the leaders of the member states and discuss the further development of the organisation.
He also stressed the importance of SCO unity in resisting external pressure. “The organisation must firmly oppose hegemony, intimidation and humiliation. The world order must be multipolar, balanced and fair, and globalisation must be inclusive,” he said.
This is Jaishankar’s first trip to China since the armed clash between India and China in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
