India-China Relations: Amid the frozen relations between India and China over the eastern Ladakh military stalemate, Chinese President Xi Jinping has chosen veteran diplomat Xu Feihong as the next Ambassador to India, after an 18-month wait. However, no formal notification has been made yet.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed to PTI that Xu, China’s previous ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, had been named the country’s new envoy in India. The 60-year-old is anticipated to travel to India shortly to take up his new position. He will succeed Sun Weidong, a seasoned Chinese ambassador who served in India until October 2022.

Sun, who was China’s envoy to Pakistan before moving to India, is now the Vice Foreign Minister in charge of China’s South Asia policy. According to PTI, Xu’s appointment coincides with India’s ongoing Lok Sabha elections and comes amid protracted military and diplomatic negotiations between Beijing and New Delhi to end the long-running military standoff.

Since the eastern Ladakh border standoff began on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area, relations between the two nations have been frozen, with the exception of trade. The eastern Ladakh conflict has led in a halt to bilateral relations. The two parties have undertaken 21 rounds of corps commander-level negotiations to settle the deadlock.

According to the Chinese military, the two countries have achieved an agreement to retire from four points: the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Hot Springs, and Jianan Daban (Gogra), as reported by PTI. India is pressuring the People’s Liberation Army to withdraw from the Depsang and Demchok districts, arguing that normalcy in its relations with China cannot be restored while the border situation remains anomalous.