China vitiates ties with India, now offers talks

Beijing, which did its most to spoil a thaw in India-China bilateral relations by blocking India's bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers' Group and sending troops across the border, now wants to engage New Delhi in ''serious'' bilateral talks.

Amidst an unease in bilateral ties, Beijing is sending its foreign minister Wang Yi to New Delhi next week for ''serious'' bilateral talks. Yi will arrive in India next week to hold talks with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj on 13 August, during which key regional and bilateral issues will be discussed, including the NSG issue.

Wang's visit comes just days after Chinese troops "transgressed" the border on land and by air in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand last month.

China also stalled India's Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership bid at the Plenary meeting of the 48-nation grouping in June on the grounds that it was a non-NPT signatory.

Earlier, China vetoed an Indian proposal for a UN ban on Pakistani terrorist Azhar at Pakistan's behest at the UN.

India too, in a tit-for-tat reaction over China's actions, refused to extend visas to Chinese journalists stationed in India. It had also recently given visas to Uyghur leaders to attend a conference of Chinese dissidents in Dharamsala while refusing to extend visas to three Xinhua journalists, who are employed by the Chinese government.

Beijing, on the other hand, has been wary of growing Indo-US ties, which is being viewed by the ruling Communist Party as attempt to check China.

China, which has been doing all it could to spoil relations with India, now wants to build confidence besides discussing India's participation at the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China during 4-5 September, which will be attended by PM Narendra Modi.

Besides India, he will also visit Kenya and Uganda during his three-nation tour from August 9 to 14, the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson as saying.