West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cancelled her first China visit today at the last minute as political meetings at the "appropriate level" were not confirmed by the Chinese government.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief was slated to leave for China tonight on an eight-day visit.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Chinese Consulate at Kolkata said, "We have taken note of the fact that Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, announced the cancellation of her trip to China on the afternoon of 22 June 2018."
It said, "The Chinese side attaches great importance to its relationship with India and to the exchanges between the Chinese provinces and the Indian states. It was working hard to prepare for the Chief Minister's trip to China, including on the relevant arrangements during the visit."
In a Facebook post, the chief minister said, "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."
Noting that she had agreed to the proposal, Banerjee said, "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."
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