Beijing [China]: India’s new envoy to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat assumed charge on Monday.

Pradeep Rawat was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to China in December last year. Rawat earlier served as the envoy to the Netherlands. Ambassador Rawat succeeds Vikram Misri, who was appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor.

“H.E. Shri. Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China assumed charge @EOIBeijing today,” Indian Embassy in China said in a tweet.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release, Rawat has spent the majority of his diplomatic career handling Beijing from Delhi and was the joint secretary (East Asia) from 2014 to 2017.

Rawat’s appointment comes at a time when engagement with China has become “complex.”

The MEA said in its annual report that the two sides have agreed to manage their differences and not allow differences on any issue to become disputes.

Further, India and China agreed that pending the final settlement of the boundary question, maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is an essential basis for the overall development of the bilateral relationship.

However, since April-May 2020 the Chinese side undertook several attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector, which seriously disturbed the peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western Sector.

“These attempts were invariably met with an appropriate response from Indian Armed Forces,” MEA said and added that the continued unilateral attempts by China to change the status quo have impacted the bilateral relationship since then.