Chinese Foreign Minister to attend G20 FMs' meet in India

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to India to attend the meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers on March 2 and Beijing said it is ready to work with all to ensure that the gathering will send a "positive signal" on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation. Qin's visit to India will be the first by the Chinese Foreign Minister after his predecessor Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi in 2019 to attend the Special Representatives dialogue on the border mechanism.

Wang and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were the Special Representatives. At the invitation of his Indian counterpart Minster S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Qin will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, India, on March 2, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said here on Tuesday. Asked about China's expectations from the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that in a world fraught with uncertainties and struggling to reboot the economy, countries have much to do to overcome the challenges to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

As the premier forum for international cooperation, it is important the G20 focuses on challenges to the global economy and development and plays a bigger role in driving global economic recovery and development.

China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure that the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting will send a positive signal on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation, Mao said. Relations between China and India have virtually frozen ever since the eastern Ladakh military standoff between the two countries in May 2020.

The two countries have held 17 rounds of high-level military commanders' talks to resolve the standoff. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

India assumed the Presidency of the G20 on December 1, last year.

The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The member countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.