According to The Economic Times, due to military tensions in Ladakh and the coronavirus pandemic, New Delhi and Beijing did not hold 35 events in each country as planned earlier
India and China have effectively scrapped planned celebrations to mark this year’s 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The Economic Times reported on Saturday that due to military tensions in Ladakh and the coronavirus pandemic, New Delhi and Beijing did not hold 35 events in each country to mark the date as earlier planned.
“They have not been officially cancelled. But the COVID-19 outbreak and military tensions on the India-China border in Ladakh did not facilitate the celebrations”, – Indian Council for Cultural Relations director general Dinesh Patnaik told the publication.
Among those cancelled was the planned third India-China summit in 2020, for which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was going to visit Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two sides refused to hold “Beautiful China” and “Incredible India” photo exhibitions, music and dance festivals, trade fairs and film screenings.
China, without announcing any reason, refrained from issuing a commemorative postage stamp jointly with India to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, despite the fact that its issuance had been previously agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries.