Foreign secretary Jaishankar holds talks with China's top diplomat

Beijing: Foreign secretary S. Jaishankar held talks with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Tuesday, ahead of a key strategic dialogue on Wednesday to improve bilateral ties hit by Chinese reluctance to support India’s admission into the NSG and back a United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Masood Azhar.

Mr Jaishankar, who arrived in China from Sri Lanka, met Mr Yang, who besides being the state councillor, is Beijing’s special representative for border talks between India and China.

In Chinese official hierarchy, state councillor of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) is regarded as the top diplomat functioning directly under the country’s leadership.

Mr Jaishankar is expected to meet Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, besides attending an upgraded strategic dialogue with China’s executive vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui on Wednesday.

Underlining the significance of the strategic dialogue, which was upgraded during Mr Wang’s visit to New Delhi in 2016, China has deputed Zhang Yesui, also the head of the influential CPC committee of the Chinese foreign ministry for the parleys.

Ahead of the talks, China has appeared unrelenting in its opposition to impose the United Nations ban on JeM chief Massod Azhar and ambivalent on India’s membership to the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group.