India and China Step Toward Normalizing Relations with High-Profile Diplomatic Visits
On June 23, 2025, India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, held a critical meeting in Beijing, marking a significant diplomatic move. Just two days later, on June 25, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Beijing. Now, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is preparing for his own visit to China. These three high-profile visits in the past 20 days are all tied to meetings related to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), of which China currently holds the presidency. Beijing is organizing various meetings at multiple levels under the SCO’s banner.
However, the most pressing question is whether the diplomatic thaw in India-China relations is gaining momentum, especially after the tense situations following Operation Sindoor and the uncomfortable role played by the U.S. and Donald Trump in global diplomacy. According to sources, Jaishankar is set to embark on a three-day visit to Beijing and Tianjin starting July 13, where he will attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting. This visit is considered particularly significant as it will be Jaishankar’s first visit to China since the violent Galwan Valley clash in June 2020. Though he has met his Chinese counterpart at various multilateral forums, this visit marks a key step toward restoring bilateral relations.
Building Trust, Respect, and Sensitivity
Earlier, during the BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had emphasized that India-China relations must progress based on three key principles: mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity, in order to move the relationship in a positive and sustainable direction. Following this, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing and held detailed discussions on complex issues.
At the 20th meeting of SCO Security Advisors, Ajit Doval expressed India’s deep concerns about threats from terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. He stressed the need to abandon double standards in the fight against terrorism and called for decisive action against UN-designated terrorists and organizations.
Doval Meets Wang Yi
During his visit, Doval also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to review the current state of India-China relations and to promote bilateral development. The discussions also focused on the need for joint action against terrorism. In a parallel development, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO Defense Ministers’ meeting. The two discussed in detail the need to maintain peace and stability along the India-China border. According to the Ministry of Defense, Singh appreciated the efforts by both countries to restore normalcy in bilateral relations and emphasized the importance of addressing complex issues through continued dialogue and negotiation.
Ongoing Efforts to Normalize Relations
Jaishankar’s visit is coming at a time when several high-level meetings have taken place to normalize India-China relations. One of the most significant was the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2023 during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. This meeting, which took place for the first time in five years at the delegation level, has helped accelerate the normalization process.
Stay updated with International News in Hindi on Prabhasakshi