Did China make Mamata see red?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday called off her official maiden visit to China, hours before boarding the flight for Beijing.

The Trinamool Congress chief was scheduled to visit China as part of the Exchange Programme of the Government of India with the International Department of the Communist Party of China.

Taking to her Twitter handle, the West Bengal Chief Minister said that she was "compelled to cancel the visit" since the Chinese side could not confirm the political meetings at an appropriate level.

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

 

"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," she added.

She revealed that Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had requested her to consider leading a delegation to the Asian giant, which she had accepted on April 2.

"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'," she wrote, adding, "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."

She, however, wished that the friendship of India and China strengthened further in future the interest of both the countries.