Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu has arrived in India to participate in a key security meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh amid strained relations between the countries.
India is set to host the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
The SCO is an intergovernmental organisation formed in 2001 by Russia, China, and former Soviet states in Central Asia, and has since expanded to include India and Pakistan.
It is the largest regional organisation in terms of geography and population with a goal to promote stability and counter western influence from groups such as Nato.
The defence ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will participate in the summit and are expected to discuss regional peace, security and counter-terrorism with Mr Singh.
But all eyes are on Mr Li’s visit, the first time a Chinese Defence Minister has set foot in India since deadly clashes between the troops of both countries at the disputed border in 2020.
The nuclear-armed nations share a 4,000km border that crosses the Himalayas from Ladakh in the north to eastern Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed, while Beijing claimed four of its troops lost their lives in the fighting three years ago.
Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Beijing have since been frosty and several rounds of military talks have failed to resolve the border dispute.
China’s Defence Ministry has said Mr Li will “address the conference and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to communicate and exchange views on the issues of the international and regional situation as well as defence and security co-operation”.
Mr Li and Mr Singh are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
Mr Li’s visit comes days after the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army concluded the 18th round of talks to settle the border dispute.
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Mr Singh.
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