After a gap of 18 months, Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as the new ambassador to India, a report said on Wednesday (May 8).&nbsp;

There is no official announcement yet at the time of filing this report, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed to PTI news agency that Xu, a former ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, has been appointed as China's new envoy in India.

<h2>Who is Xu Feihong?</h2>

The 60-year-old Xu Feihong was serving as assistant minister for financial and administrative affairs in the foreign ministry.

In 37 years as a Chinese diplomat, Xu’s only job in South Asia was as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013. He also served as envoy to Romania from 2015 to 2018.

Apart from these, most of Xu’s postings have been in the Western world, from Finland to Australia, with a specialisation in Europe.

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He will succeed veteran Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong who completed his term in India in October 2022.

Sun Weidong left his post in October 2022, after a tumultuous three years that saw relations between the two neighbours plunge following border clashes in eastern Ladakh.

In April-May 2020, India and China, were locked in a military standoff in the western part of the border.

Tensions flared as Chinese forces advanced past their usual positions on the Line of Actual Control. This resulted in clashes between Chinese troops and Indian Army patrols.

The most serious incident was reported on 15 June, 2020 in the Galwan Valley, where a brutal hand-to-hand fight resulted in casualties on both sides.

India confirmed the loss of 20 soldiers, while China acknowledged at least four fatalities.

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Since then, at least 20 rounds of military-level talks and 13 rounds of foreign office talks have been held between the two countries.

India is pressing the People's Liberation Army to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.

(With inputs from agencies)

After a gap of 18 months, Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as the new ambassador to India, a report said on Wednesday (May 8).

After a gap of 18 months, Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as the new ambassador to India, a report said on Wednesday (May 8). There is no official announcement yet at the time of filing this report, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed to PTI news agency that Xu, a former ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, has been appointed as China's new envoy in India. Who is Xu Feihong? The 60-year-old Xu Feihong was serving as assistant minister for financial and administrative affairs in the foreign ministry. In 37 years as a Chinese diplomat, Xu’s only job in South Asia was as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013. He also served as envoy to Romania from 2015 to 2018. Apart from these, most of Xu’s postings have been in the Western world, from Finland to Australia, with a specialisation in Europe. Also read: US halts bomb shipment to Israel amid signs of full-scale Rafah invasion He will succeed veteran Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong who completed his term in India in October 2022. Sun Weidong left his post in October 2022, after a tumultuous three years that saw relations between the two neighbours plunge following border clashes in eastern Ladakh. In April-May 2020, India and China, were locked in a military standoff in the western part of the border. Tensions flared as Chinese forces advanced past their usual positions on the Line of Actual Control. This resulted in clashes between Chinese troops and Indian Army patrols. The most serious incident was reported on 15 June, 2020 in the Galwan Valley, where a brutal hand-to-hand fight resulted in casualties on both sides. India confirmed the loss of 20 soldiers, while China acknowledged at least four fatalities. Also read: India rubbishes China's 'absurd' claims on Arunachal Pradesh Since then, at least 20 rounds of military-level talks and 13 rounds of foreign office talks have been held between the two countries. India is pressing the People's Liberation Army to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal. (With inputs from agencies)

Who is Xu Feihong, China’s new envoy to India?

China's ambassador to the United States on Wednesday said that China would not yield on matters concerning sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"China will not back down. We hope the United States will respect China's core interest and refrain from crossing the red line," Cui said.

Cui stressed that China wanted cooperation, not confrontation, and called for both sides to address differences through dialogue.&nbsp; 
 
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Hong Kong, the western region of Xinjiang, the South China Sea and Taiwan were points of intensifying contention between China and the United States during the Trump administration.

With the Biden administration expected to take a more multilateral approach to China, Cui warned that a coalition of allies against China could create "new imbalances". 
 
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He said China welcomed Biden's decisions to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, and said China hoped to work with the United States on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and on global policy coordination to fend off economic and financial risk.

Treating China as a "strategic rival" of the United States is a misjudgement that could lead to mistakes, China's ambassador to the United States said in a speech to an online forum.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden sent a clear warning to China against any expansionist intentions in East and Southeast Asia.

Signalling Washington's rejection of Beijing's disputed territorial claims, Biden and his top security officials have underscored support for allies Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Since the Trump administration defined China as a strategic rival in 2018, Washington and Beijing have frequently clashed over issues ranging from trade to Beijing's handling of the coronavirus, and the new administration of President Joe Biden is expected to maintain pressure on China.

In the first major speech by a Chinese official on relations between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office, Ambassador Cui Tiankai reasserted China's long-standing position of seeking peaceful coexistence with the United States, while warning it not to cross China's red lines.

"Treating China as a strategic rival and imaginary enemy would be a huge strategic misjudgement," Cui told the forum that took place late on Wednesday, U.S. time, Thursday in Beijing.

"To develop any policy on the basis of that would only lead to grave strategic mistakes."

(With inputs from agencies)

China's ambassador to the United States on Wednesday said that China would not yield on matters concerning sovereignty and territorial integrity. "China will not back down.

China's ambassador to the United States on Wednesday said that China would not yield on matters concerning sovereignty and territorial integrity. "China will not back down. We hope the United States will respect China's core interest and refrain from crossing the red line," Cui said. Cui stressed that China wanted cooperation, not confrontation, and called for both sides to address differences through dialogue. Also read | US President Joe Biden warns China over expansionism in Asia Hong Kong, the western region of Xinjiang, the South China Sea and Taiwan were points of intensifying contention between China and the United States during the Trump administration. With the Biden administration expected to take a more multilateral approach to China, Cui warned that a coalition of allies against China could create "new imbalances". Also read: Biden and Suga vow to strengthen US-Japan alliance He said China welcomed Biden's decisions to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, and said China hoped to work with the United States on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and on global policy coordination to fend off economic and financial risk. Treating China as a "strategic rival" of the United States is a misjudgement that could lead to mistakes, China's ambassador to the United States said in a speech to an online forum. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden sent a clear warning to China against any expansionist intentions in East and Southeast Asia. Signalling Washington's rejection of Beijing's disputed territorial claims, Biden and his top security officials have underscored support for allies Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Since the Trump administration defined China as a strategic rival in 2018, Washington and Beijing have frequently clashed over issues ranging from trade to Beijing's handling of the coronavirus, and the new administration of President Joe Biden is expected to maintain pressure on China. In the first major speech by a Chinese official on relations between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office, Ambassador Cui Tiankai reasserted China's long-standing position of seeking peaceful coexistence with the United States, while warning it not to cross China's red lines. "Treating China as a strategic rival and imaginary enemy would be a huge strategic misjudgement," Cui told the forum that took place late on Wednesday, U.S. time, Thursday in Beijing. "To develop any policy on the basis of that would only lead to grave strategic mistakes." (With inputs from agencies)

China will not back down on sovereignty and territorial integrity: Beijing to US

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