New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar will visit China from August 11 to 13 and meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi there, in what is being seen as a preparatory visit ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India in October this year for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But though the visit was planned much earlier, it is also being seen as significant in view of Monday’s move by the Indian Government on bifurcation of J&K and revoking of Article 370. The Chinese envoy in New Delhi was one of the foreign diplomats briefed on Monday by New Delhi regarding the developments on Kashmir. This is also being considered significant, as China is considered the all-weather friend and “iron brother” of Pakistan.

This will be external affairs minister’s first visit to China after assuming office.

In a statement, the MEA said, “External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will be travelling to China from 11-13 August 2019.

This will be External Affairs Minister’s first visit to China after assuming office. During this visit, External Affairs Minister will co-chair the second meeting of the India-China High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges (HLM) on August 12, 2019 in Beijing with H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China.”

The MEA also said, “The decision to establish the HLM was taken during the Informal Summit between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April 2018. The inaugural HLM meeting was held on December 21, 2018 in New Delhi. The 2nd HLM meeting will provide an opportunity to follow up on the outcomes of the 1st HLM meeting and discuss new initiatives for enhancing people-to-people exchanges between our two countries. The HLM reflects the desire on both sides to build greater synergies in the people-to-people ties between the two countries through enhanced exchanges in areas such as tourism, art, films, media, culture, sports.”

The MEA added, “The External Affairs Minister will also exchange views with the Foreign Minister of China on the entire gamut of our bilateral relations- including upcoming high-level visits later this year, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.”