China on Friday (March 20, 2026) welcomed the appointment of veteran diplomat Vikram Doraiswami as the brand new Indian Ambassador, expressing hope that he’ll make a constructive contribution to the sustained enchancment of Sino-India ties.
Mr. Doraiswami, a 1992-batch Indian Overseas Service (IFS) officer, is at present serving because the Indian Excessive Commissioner to the UK. The 56-year-old diplomat was on Thursday (March 19, 2026) appointed as India’s new envoy to China. He’ll succeed Pradeep Kumar Rawat.
He’s anticipated to take up the brand new task shortly.
Reacting to Mr. Doraiswami’s appointment, Chinese language Overseas Ministry spokesman Lin Jian informed a media briefing that envoys are an necessary bridge for fostering pleasant and cooperative relations between nations. China welcomes India’s new ambassador and can present all facilitation to take up his publish in China and appears ahead to his constructive function in enhancing India-China relations, Mr. Lin stated, whereas replying to a query on Mr. Doraiswami’s appointment.
“I famous that Ambassador Doraiswami has chosen a Chinese language title for himself: Wei Jiameng,” he stated.
The unfastened translation of the title in Mandarin, in accordance with Chinese language students, is Wei, a typical Chinese language surname that phonetically matches “Vi” in Vikram. Way back, Wei was a strong State in the course of the Warring States interval in Chinese language historical past.
“Jia” which means “auspicious or praiseworthy”, “Meng” which means “ally”. Broadly which means auspicious/praiseworthy ally, the students informed PTI.
All put collectively, it may be stated as “one who types a superb alliance”, in accordance with one Chinese language scholar, which carries diplomatic significance within the current context of India-China relations. Mr.Lin stated China hopes that after assuming his duties, Mr. Doraiswami will make constructive contributions to the sustained enchancment and improvement of China-India ties.
Mr. Doraiswami’s appointment evoked appreciable curiosity within the Chinese language official media and the Chinese language strategic group. A Mandarin speaker, he served each in Hong Kong and Beijing diplomatic missions in his early profession as a diplomat. He served as Third Secretary in Hong Kong in his early profession, the place he earned an elective diploma in Chinese language from the New Asia Yale-in-Asia Language College earlier than shifting to Beijing in September 1996 for a four-year tenure.
The Chinese language official media has given a constructive build-up to Mr. Doraiswami’s appointment.
World Instances, a part of the Folks’s Every day publication group of the ruling Communist Occasion, has featured his appointment on the entrance web page, with the headline ‘India appoints seasoned “China hand” as subsequent Ambassador’.
“The place of Ambassador to China is taken into account some of the crucial positions inside India’s diplomatic service… Doraiswami’s stints working in China have endowed him with a extra rational and complete understanding of the nation,” Lin Minwang, deputy director of the Centre for South Asian Research at Fudan College, informed the World Instances.
Mr. Doraiswami is a heavyweight “China hand” amongst India’s senior diplomats, possessing a profound understanding of China-India relations and China’s nationwide situations, Qian Feng, director of the Analysis Division at Tsinghua College’s Nationwide Technique Institute, informed the each day.
In line with him, the most recent appointment underscores the nice significance New Delhi attaches to its ties with Beijing, and embodies a powerful emphasis on each professionalism and pragmatism in stabilising and advancing ties, which is a constructive sign.
By dispatching this senior diplomat to Beijing, India seeks to interact extra exactly and successfully with China on the frontline degree, thereby facilitating the administration of complicated and delicate bilateral points, managing variations and broadening cooperation, Qian stated.
He stated outgoing Ambassador Rawat made efforts to assist China-India relations steadily emerge from their earlier low level.
Like Mr. Doraiswami, a number of Indian diplomats, together with Mr. Rawat, studied Chinese language and served within the Indian diplomatic missions in China. Mr. Doraiswami’s appointment comes amid efforts by the 2 sides to rebuild relations that got here below extreme pressure following the over four-year army standoff in jap Ladakh in April, 2020.
In the previous few months, India and China have stepped up efforts to stabilise their relations, in search of a reset after the 2020 army standoff within the Galwan Valley plunged ties to the bottom level in many years.
The army stand-off successfully led to October 2024.
Revealed – March 20, 2026 05:33 pm IST