China's new ambassador to India Xu Feihong arrived in Delhi after the position remained vacant for nearly 18 months, the longest such gap in over four decades.
China is ready to work with India to "accommodate" each other's concerns and find a mutually acceptable solution to "specific issues" through dialogue at an early date, Xu said, in remarks that came against the backdrop of the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Sixty-year-old Xu succeeds veteran diplomat Sun Weidong who left India after completing his tenure in India in October 2022.
His arrival in India comes amid protracted military and diplomatic negotiations between Beijing and New Delhi to resolve the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
"It is an honourable mission and a sacred duty. I will do my best to deepen understanding and friendship between the two peoples, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and improve and advance the bilateral relationship," Xu told PTI and China's state-run CGTN-TV in a media interaction in Beijing before leaving for New Delhi.
"China is ready to work with India to accommodate each other's concerns, find a mutually acceptable solution to specific issues through dialogue at an early date, and turn the page as soon as possible," Xu said without elaborating further.
Xu previously served as China's Ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, besides senior cadre-level postings in the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).
In a brief statement, the Chinese embassy in Delhi said Xu arrived in New Delhi to assume office.
"Officials from the protocol division of the ministry of external affairs of India, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, ambassador of Eritrea to India Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam and Minister Ma Jia, Minister Wang Lei, Minister Counselor Chen Jianjun from the Chinese embassy greeted the ambassador and his wife Tan Yuxiu at the airport," it said.
Xu is the 17th Chinese ambassador to India.
His appointment comes after an unusually long delay of 18 months amid strained relations between the two countries over the Ladakh military standoff.
Relations between the two countries hit a low except for trade ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area. The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff.
India is pressing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas.
India has been maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.
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