China names new ambassador to India after 18-month vacancy amid border dispute deadlock
- Beijing appoints Xu Feihong to the embassy in New Delhi, filling long-standing gap that added to diplomatic challenges following border clashes
- However, it is unlikely that Sino-Indian relations will improve quickly as a result of the appointment
Xu, 60, former assistant minister of foreign affairs, arrived in New Delhi on Friday morning to take up the post, according to the Chinese embassy in India.
“I will follow the important consensus between our leaders, reach out to friends from all sectors of India, earnestly enhance the understanding and trust between the two sides to work to restore exchanges and cooperation in various fields and create favourable conditions for a sound and steady China-India relationship,” Xu said.
The appointment filled the post’s longest vacancy since 1976. Xu’s predecessor Sun Weidong departed in November 2022 to take a vice-ministerial role at the foreign ministry.
He served as assistant foreign minister for administrative and financial affairs from February 2021 until he was removed from the post in December of last year without any explanation or announcement regarding his next position.
Most of Xu’s previous diplomatic assignments were in Western countries – including Finland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – with a focus on Europe.
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Observers have noted that the absence of a Chinese ambassador in New Delhi created a significant gap in communication channels during a period when bilateral relations were strained over border disputes.
However, it is unlikely that Sino-Indian relations will improve quickly following the designation of a new Chinese envoy.
It also comes during a challenging period for the nuclear-equipped neighbours. Tensions have been high since 2020 when Indian and Chinese forces engaged in several skirmishes in a disputed Himalayan border area.
At least 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers died in a June 2020 encounter.
Troops from the two countries also reportedly clashed at least two times in 2022, though no deaths were reported.
In mid-February, Beijing and New Delhi concluded another round of commander-level discussions about the border situation. According to the Chinese defence ministry, the talks aimed to reach a mutually agreeable resolution “at the earliest possible time” in a bid to “turn the page” on the tensions.
Beijing and New Delhi have so far held 21 rounds of military talks and 29 rounds of diplomatic negotiations to address the stand-off.
The last time the role of China’s top diplomat to India remained empty for over a year was from 1962 to 1976. During that vacancy, which was sparked by a border conflict, the Chinese embassy was led by a chargé d’affaires or a first secretary.
