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China’s new envoy Xu Feihong arrives in Delhi, says will deepen understanding
The Chinese embassy has been without an envoy since October 2022, the longest such gap in ambassadorial postings since 1976
NEW DELHI: China’s new ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday to fill a position that was vacant for nearly 18 months, has said he will work to deepen understanding and friendship between the two sides and restore cooperation in various fields.
Xu’s remarks, made in an interview with China’s state-run CGTN news channel, came against the backdrop of the military standoff in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low. The relations are yet to recover from the fallout of a brutal clash between border forces of the two sides at Galwan in June 2020 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops.
The Chinese embassy was without an envoy since October 2022, the longest such gap in ambassadorial postings since 1976, reflecting the downslide in relations.
HT first reported that Xu, 60, could arrive in New Delhi as early as mid-May.
On his arrival in New Delhi, Xu was greeted at the airport by officials from the protocol division of the external affairs ministry, the dean of the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam of Eritrea, China’s chargé d’affaires Ma Jia and other diplomats from the Chinese embassy.
Asked during the CGTN interview about his priorities, Xu referred to the consensus forged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping and said he will work to enhance understanding and trust between the two sides, restore exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and “create favourable conditions for a sound and steady” bilateral relationship.
“I will do my best to deepen understanding and friendship between the two peoples, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields and improve and advance the bilateral relationship,” Xu said, adding that he hoped to have the support of the Indian government.
Xu’s remarks were devoid of any mention of the border standoff, which has resulted in India and China arraying more than 50,000 troops each in Ladakh sector. After dozens of rounds of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides haven’t been able to address friction points at Demchok and Depsang, where troops remain deployed close to the LAC. Earlier, the talks resulted in troops being withdrawn from the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, Gogra and Hot Spring.
The Indian side has linked the situation on the LAC to the overall bilateral relationship, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar saying there cannot be normalisation of ties without peace and tranquillity on the border. He has also accused China of violating several agreements and protocols on border management.
In marked contrast, China’s leadership has said the border issue should be placed in its “appropriate place” in the overall ties while the two sides take forward relations in other areas such as trade.
Xu noted that it was a “great honour” to be appointed by President Xi as China’s envoy to India, and said the two countries are “important neighbours” and the world’s biggest emerging markets. “As President Xi Jinping said, if China and India speak with one voice, the whole world will listen. If the two countries join hands, the whole world pays attention,” he said.
Responding to a question on how he sees bilateral relations going forward in light of frequent mentions of China-India strategic rivalry in the neighbourhood and beyond, Xu said Xi and Modi had agreed that both countries are “cooperation partners, not competitors, and we reached an important common understanding that our two countries are each other’s development opportunities, not threats”. This, he said, should serve as fundamental guidelines for the growth of bilateral ties.
Xu said the world today is facing profound changes and multiple global challenges such as climate change, food and energy crisis, and weak economic recovery. China and India hold similar positions on these issues and “closer communication and coordination on global and regional affairs will not only bring opportunities to both countries and to the world, but also add stability and positivity to international relations”, he added.
It is not yet clear when Xu, the 17th Chinese ambassador to India, will present his credentials to the President.
Xu, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s committee of the foreign ministry and an assistant minister of foreign affairs, has served as envoy to Afghanistan during 2011-2013 and to Romania during 2015-2019. He has also done diplomatic assignments in Finland, South Korea, New Zealand and the UK and is not seen as an India hand.
