West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's nine-day China visit cancelled. Mamata was supposed to leave for China late this evening and fly to Beijing via Singapore. She was also supposed to travel to Shanghai and return to Kolkata on June 30.

The tour was to be a mix of economic-cum-political meetings.


This is what the West Bengal CM tweeted:


"In March this year, the Union Minister of External Affairs had recommended to me to kindly consider leading a delegation to China in the coming months under the Exchange Programme of the Government of India with the International Department of the Communist Party of China.


"In response, on April 2, 2018, I appreciated her recommendation for me to lead the delegation to China under the Exchange Programme. I mentioned to her that since the interest of my country is involved, I wish to visit China sometime during last week of June, 2018.

"Thereafter, in pursuance of the letters from Chief Secretary and the Ambassador of India in China, a programme was chalked out, based on which we planned our visit in the coming week.

"Till yesterday, everything was going on well, but unfortunately, the Chinese side could not confirm the political meetings at the appropriate level as informed by our Ambassador in China.

"It has now been intimated by our Ambassador in China that the political meetings at the appropriate level under the Exchange Programme could not be confirmed. Therefore, the purpose of my visit with a delegation to China under the Exchange Programme is of no use.

"Although our Ambassador in China had tried his best to make the programme a success, non-confirmation of the political meetings at the appropriate level as proposed by the Indian Ambassador to China, at the last moment, has unfortunately compelled us to cancel the visit.

"However, I wish the continuation of the friendship of India and China in the days to come and it should strengthen further in the interest of both the countries."