Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale will arrive in Beijing on Sunday for “bilateral consultations”, amid signs that China may review its position on lifting its “technical hold” on listing the founder of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Masood Azhar, as an international terrorist. The Foreign Secretary will hold talks with China’s State Councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday. On Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the Azhar issue was “moving towards the direction of settlement”. China, Pakistan discuss Azhar’s listingSeparately, China and Pakistan have been discussing Azhar’s listing. China had requested sending Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to India, a Chinese academic who did not wish to be named, told The Hindu.

Source: The Hindu April 20, 2019 12:14 UTC