After 18 months of China not having an Ambassador in India, senior diplomat Xu Feihong arrived in Delhi to assume office as the 17th Ambassador to India on Friday. Mr. Xu will succeed Sun Weidong, who completed his tenure as Ambassador to India in October 2022. WHY NO AMBASSADOR TO INDIA? Ties between the two countries have been strained since tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), following China’s multiple transgressions starting in April 2020 and violent clashes in Galwan in June 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides. New Chinese Ambassador To India explained for UPSC WHAT CHANGED? Mr. Xu’s appointment comes against the backdrop of both India and China last month stating that there should be better relations between the two. In April, in an interview with U.S. magazine Newsweek, Mr. Modi broke his silence on ties with China and the LAC stand-off, calling for the two sides to “urgently address the pro- longed situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us”. “I hope and believe that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity in our borders.”