China’s new ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday to fill a position that was vacant for nearly 18 months, has said he will work to deepen understanding and friendship between the two sides and restore cooperation in various fields.

Xu’s remarks, made in an interview with China’s state-run CGTN news channel, came against the backdrop of the military standoff in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low, reports The Hindustan Times.

The Chinese embassy was without an envoy since October 2022, the longest such gap in ambassadorial postings since 1976, reflecting the downslide in relations.

HT first reported that Xu, 60, could arrive in New Delhi as early as mid-May.

On his arrival in New Delhi, Xu was greeted at the airport by officials from the protocol division of the external affairs ministry, the dean of the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam of Eritrea, China’s chargé d’affaires Ma Jia and other diplomats from the Chinese embassy.

Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque