Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparked a sharp rebuke from Beijing over his comments on the South China Sea in one of his first foreign policy statements since taking office.

Top diplomats from China and India will meet next week in Beijing as the nuclear-armed neighbors try to repair ties marred by a border dispute nearly five years ago.

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Beijing on Jan. 26-27 for talks to discuss the next steps in ties with China, which were frozen following a military clash on their border in 2020, the Indian foreign ministry said on Thursday.