As their armies clash in the Himalayan mountains, suddenly and furtive signals of an upcoming thaw are emerging between India, China and the other giant Asian neighbor with nuclear weapons, India.

The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in New Delhi for an unannounced meeting with Subrahmanyam Jayankar, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Dval and to have a series of discussions on Friday. 

It is the first time that high-ranking officials have visited the sides since the bloody clashes along their disputed border in June 2020 which resulted to the deaths 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers. The talks may be able to begin to heal their tensions at a time in which both India and China face increased international scrutiny due to their refusal to condemn Russia over the one-month-old conflict in Ukraine.

The following is the Thursday schedule EU leaders told China to use its leverage over Russia To bring an end to war. The West has been more understanding of the position taken by New DelhiRussia is its only source of arms supply.

The agendas and expectations for the visit have been kept secret by both governments. Wang arrived in New Delhi on Thursday night after a flight from Afghanistan. News of Wang’s arrival reached China and India via the media. China declared an “unlimitable” partnership with Russia shortly before the outbreak of war in Ukraine. India has not yet reacted to the UN’s resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As the host of the annual BRICS summit later this year,  China is also believed to be seeking India’s presence at the forum which would put India, China and Russia at the same table.

Shashank, an ex-Indian foreign secretary, attributed the secretiveness to Wang’s difficulties in meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as other Indian high officials.

He told CNBC that India was not likely to meet with Prime Minister because India needs to make a compelling proposal for the meeting to take place.

Chinese media connected the visit with the similarities in Indian and Chinese views on the Ukraine conflict. China and India share similar stances on the Ukraine crisis and an exchange of views between the two countries will serve as a stabilizer to the region“Despite some foreign country’s attempts to stir up trouble,” Global Times reported that an expert said in an article about the visit.

The paper stated that the US had been pressing India to end its defense and oil ties. It also said that Wang’s visit was “shuttle Diplomacy” which showed China’s important role in mediation between the regional parties over issues related to common interests. 

Wang raised eyebrows when he called for Kashmir to be given the “right of self determination” during a Conference of Islamic Countries held in Pakistan. India and Pakistan both claim the entire disputed territory but have different ways of governing it. New Delhi condemned Wang’s remarks and contributed to the tentativeness around the visit.

For the last few weeks, Beijing still signals an openness to New Delhi. Wang stated that worsening China-India relations did not serve their “fundamental interest” at a press briefing held on the sidelines to the Fifth session of 13th National People’s Congress Beijing. Wang reiterated his traditional Chinese belief that any differences over their border should be separated from bilateral matters. 

To further reduce tensions at the border, India and China held their last military dialogue on March 11.