Xu, who arrived in New Delhi three weeks ago to fill an 18-month vacancy, was one of seven envoys who handed over their letters of credentials to Indian President Draupadi Murmu at the Presidential Palace on Friday.
According to the Chinese embassy in India, during his courtesy call on Murmu, Xu called for joint efforts to “enhance political mutual trust, properly manage differences, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and put Sino-Indian relations on the right track.”
He also called on both sides to explore ways “that major neighbors can get along with each other.”
Xu’s appointment, announced in early May, fills the longest vacancy in the position since 1976. His predecessor, Sun Weidong, stepped down in November 2022 to become vice minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
Relations between the two Asian powers have deteriorated sharply since 2020, when Chinese and Indian troops clashed at several locations along their disputed Himalayan border, leaving casualties on both sides.
Since then, China and India have held several military talks and withdrawn troops from four locations along their border, but ties remain chilly and both countries have steadily built up their military presence in the border area.
Citing satellite images taken on Monday, Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that China has deployed six of its most advanced J-20 stealth fighter jets to a joint military and civilian airport in Shigatse, the Tibet Autonomous Region’s second-largest city, less than 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Chinese border with India’s Sikkim state.
This is believed to be the largest deployment of J-20 fighter jets near the China-India border captured on commercially available satellite imagery. In 2020, two J-20 fighter jets were reportedly spotted at Hotan Air Base in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the disputed region of Aksai Chin.
Meanwhile, India has been beefing up its military presence along the border: Bloomberg reported in March that India had deployed 10,000 troops from its western border to guard its disputed border with China.
The Indian army last month announced the establishment of two high-altitude tank repair facilities in the eastern Ladakh region, including one just 25 kilometers from the border with China.
However, Modi is expected to be sworn in for a third term as prime minister soon after the election results are announced on June 4 and resume diplomatic activities, raising hopes of improving relations between the two Asian rivals.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit in New Delhi
Chinese President Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit in New Delhi
Modi, 73, who came to power a decade ago, told Newsweek magazine in an April interview that India and China should urgently address the “protracted situation” on their border.
According to Indian news portal Firstpost.com, the new prime minister’s diplomatic schedule is expected to include the Group of Seven summit in Italy from June 13-15 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan in July, where he may meet Xi.
In 2017, India joined the SCO, a Eurasian alliance of China, Russia and four Central Asian countries that focuses on counter-terrorism and political and economic cooperation.
President Xi and Prime Minister Modi met briefly on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August.
