Indian Envoy To China Meets Army Chief As Defence Diplomacy Gains Momentum; Receives Credentials From Prez
Vikram Doraiswami received credentials from President Droupadi Murmu for his assignment as Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Image courtesy: X.com/@adgpi
India’s Ambassador-designate to China, Vikram Doraiswami, called on Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday (April 30, 2026), before receiving credentials from President Droupadi Murmu for his assignment to the People’s Republic of China. Doraiswami had joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1992.
Prior to getting his credentials, Vikram Doraiswami met with COAS General Dwivedi, signalling continued coordination between diplomatic and military channels amid sensitive India-China relations. Notably, the meeting came at a time when both countries remain engaged in dialogue to manage border tensions and stabilise ties.
In a post on X, the ADGPI said, “Vikram K Doraiswami, Ambassador Designate of India to the People’s Republic of China, called on General Upendra Dwivedi, COAS. The interaction focused on the current geostrategic issues, bilateral engagement and measures to further strengthen existing mechanisms.”
The 56-year-old diplomat was on March 19, 2026 appointed as India’s new envoy to China. He will succeed Pradeep Kumar Rawat.
How does this fit into the India–China engagement?
The interaction follows recent high-level contact between the two sides. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier this week met China’s Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek. Beijing claimed that the leaders discussed peace along the LAC, among other things.
“The two sides discussed maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC as well as broader regional security issues, including the West Asia situation,” a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, Yu Jing, shared the update on X.
What other defence diplomacy moves has India undertaken?
Alongside engagement with China, India has expanded defence outreach with multiple Eurasian partners during the SCO platform.
During his meeting with Kyrgyzstan’s Defence Minister Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich, Rajnath Singh discussed ways to strengthen existing bilateral defence cooperation. India also extended tangible support, giving two Bhishm Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes, indigenously developed systems designed for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and search and rescue operations during natural calamities.
What capacity-building initiatives were announced?
Rajnath Singh announced the completion of a project involving the provisioning of 12 sets of computer systems at IT centres of the Kyrgyz Military Institute in Bishkek and Military Unit 36806 in Osh.
This was followed by the successful installation of wargaming software and on-the-job training of Kyrgyz armed forces personnel.
How is India strengthening ties with Kazakhstan and Belarus?
In his meeting with Kazakhstan’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh emphasised that defence cooperation spans diverse sectors and forms an important pillar of bilateral partnership.
Similarly, during talks with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, he underlined that India attaches high priority to developing a mutually beneficial partnership, identifying capacity building and training as key areas of cooperation.
