External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart FM Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Africa’s Johannesburg and discussed Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which the India and China last month agreed to resume as the two sides agreed to take certain people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” ties.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart FM Wang Yi(X/@DrSJaishankar)

EAM S Jaishankar took to his social media platform X to post about the meeting. “The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg provided an opportunity to meet CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China this morning on its sidelines,” Jaishankar said in his X post.

Separately, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday , at a press briefing, said the two ministers “reviewed developments in the bilateral relationship since their last meeting in November, specifically the management of peace and tranquility in border areas.”

Also Read: India, China decide to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, direct flights

The management of peace and tranquility in border areas, the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, resumption of direct flight connectivity, and travel facilitation were discussed during the meeting between Jaishankar and Wang Yi.

The two foreign ministers also discussed G20 and the Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO), MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra’s resumption

In a major step towards stabilising ties, India and China in January agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as well as direct flights between the two countries were suspended in 2020 amid the standoff at Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Before the flights were suspended due to the pandemic and the Galwan clash of 2020, the two countries had 539 direct flights per month, with a total seat capacity of over 1.25 lakh.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri had visited Beijing on January 26-27 this year for a meeting of the foreign secretary-vice foreign minister mechanism between India and China on January 27.

Friday’s meeting between Jaishankar and Wang comes after the two met on G20 November 18, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.