Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was appointed the country’s state councillor on Monday, making him Beijing’s top diplomat. This means Wang, as a special representative, will now lead talks on border disputes with India, PTI reported, quoting unidentified officials.
A state councillor ranks higher than a foreign minister in China. Wang succeeds Yang Jiechi in the position. Being appointed the state councillor, Wang is also expected to take over the role of the special representative for border talks between India and China. However, PTI quoted unidentified officials as saying that there will be clarity on this position only after an official notification.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is India’s special representative for negotiations with China.
The National People’s Congress, China’s Parliament, appointed several new Cabinet ministers on Monday, after Xi Jinping was re-elected as the president on Saturday. This was after the Parliament abolished the two-term limit for the president and vice president’s positions through a constitutional amendment.
Besides Wang’s, the appointment of Lieutenant General Wei Fenghe as the new defence minister is also of significant for India, according to Mint. He was believed to be the man responsible for China’s rapid military modernisation and its reorganisation.
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