India on Saturday discussed with China its blocking of Jaish-i-Mohammad (JM) Chief Masood Azhar’s banning by the UN, the Press Trust of India said.
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her visiting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, during their meetings also decided to put in place a new mechanism at the level of foreign secretaries to discuss various aspects of ties which have witnessed strains in the recent past.
India and China also discussed Beijing’s opposition to India’s NSG membership bid for which the two sides agreed to have a meeting soon between their top disarmament officials
The meeting coincided with reports that Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar would visit Washington this month, his second trip there in eight months.
Swaraj also conveyed India’s concerns to Wang on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in “disputed Kashmir” during the three-hour-long discussion over lunch.
They reviewed the situation on the border and discussed further steps to strengthen peace and tranquillity.
Meanwhile, Parrikar is expected to keep the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement with the US high on the agenda of his visit to Washington, reports said.
India and the US had announced in April this year the decision to conclude the logistic support agreement, but the pact has not been signed yet. Hopes are high on the US side that is in touch with India to draw up the agenda for the minister’s visit, before a schedule is formally announced, an American source told The Hindu.