External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will make her maiden visit to China later this month amid hectic consultations between the two countries to sort out scheduling problems in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile trip to New Delhi.
“We have an active calendar of visits ahead of us, with Swaraj travelling to China later this month,” Indian Ambassador to China, Ashok K Kantha said, addressing an Independence Day gathering at the Embassy here on Friday. “We are looking forward to the State visit of President Xi Jinping to India shortly,” he said.
Swaraj will be coming to attend Russia, India, China, (RIC) trilateral Foreign Ministers meeting to be held here on August 28 and 29.
Though her visit is not strictly regarded as a bilateral trip, she will have talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi besides expected meetings with Xi and Premier li Keqiang to finalise the Chinese President’s India visit, billed as a major bilateral event. According to officials on both sides, Xi’s visit, which had been planned for September
14-15, is caught in scheduling problems.