New Delhi, February 4 (IANS). China is planning to send an official delegation to India’s upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit amid signs of gradual improvement in relations between India and China. This conference is to be held in New Delhi from 16 to 20 February.
According to reports, a vice-minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology may lead this delegation. George Chen, partner and co-head of digital practice at consultancy ‘The Asia Group’, said that the Indian Embassy in Beijing has contacted regarding visa arrangements for Chinese representatives.
It is reported that ‘The Asia Group’ has been regularly communicating with Chinese policy-makers on issues related to Artificial Intelligence regulation. This is believed to be the first public confirmation that China will participate in the AI Impact Summit to be held in New Delhi.
At the end of December last year, Chinese state media, citing Indian reports, had said that India had formally invited Beijing to participate in the event. However, till now neither the Indian Embassy nor the Ministry of Science and Technology of China has issued any official statement.
The proposed involvement of Chinese officials and companies comes at a time when relations between the two countries appear to be stabilizing after years of tension. There was a sharp decline in India-China relations after the deadly border skirmish in the year 2020, after which India banned many Chinese mobile apps including TikTok citing security concerns.
However, there were signs of easing of tensions after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin in August. The two leaders were also seen in a joint video with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was seen as a sign of a thaw in diplomatic ties.
Since then, steps like direct flights and restoration of tourist visas are also pointing towards improvement in relations. Meanwhile, China is increasingly using forums like SCO to strengthen its role in global AI development.
Many prominent global leaders, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, are expected to attend this AI summit to be held in India. However, the dates of the conference coincide with China’s Lunar New Year holiday, considered the biggest annual festival there.
–IANS
dsc
