China-India ties remain adrift as wait for Chinese envoy to New Delhi drags on

16 months after former ambassador Sun Weidong was promoted, the position is unfilled as the two countries remain locked in a military stand-off

Observers say an appointment is crucial to rebuilding trust, after the longest gap in senior representation since 1976

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The unusually long gap in China’s appointment of an ambassador to India has coincided with a sharp deterioration in relations, largely because of their continuing border dispute in the Himalayas. Photo: Weibo

Published: 4:00pm, 4 Mar 2024Updated: 6:19pm, 4 Mar 2024

China has been without an ambassador to India for 16 months – despite the importance Beijing attaches to its relationship with New Delhi, where foreign policy is mainly focused on its periphery and the interactions of major powers, observers said.

The post has been vacant since the most recent incumbent Sun Weidong was promoted to a foreign vice-ministership in November 2022.

The gap – the longest since 1976 – has coincided with a sharp deterioration in relations, with the two countries locked in a military stand-off since the fatal clash at their disputed Himalayan border in June 2020.

Observers said the long period without a Chinese ambassador to India was highly unusual, adding that the appointment of a new envoy would be viewed positively on both sides as a crucial step towards building trust.

Wang Dehua, an expert on India at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, said the long absence of a top Chinese envoy had laid bare the damage caused by the border tensions to ties between the world’s two most populous nations.

“That’s something very rare in the history of Sino-Indian relations, which for many is an ominous sign and makes it difficult for both sides to manage their differences, especially when ties are at a low point,” Wang said.