Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to meet Chinese counterpart on April 27
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu for the first time since the India-China border crisis erupted three years ago leading to the Galwan episode in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, and amassing of troops on both sides of the Line of Actual Control.
The meeting between Singh and Gen Li will occur on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting.
The two defence ministers’ bilateral talks follow 18 rounds of discussions between military commanders of India and China amid the stand-off in eastern Ladakh region.
The last one that took place on April 23 didn’t make any breakthrough on troop withdrawal from Demchok and Depsang plains near India’s disputed boundary with China, but the two sides agreed to continue with discussions.
Considered a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Gen. Li’s India visit gives the two defence ministers an opportunity to take stock of the current situation and explore new avenues to defuse the simmering tension at the Line of Actual Control.
“Upon invitation, Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will attend the meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in New Delhi, India, from April 27-28,” China’s ministry of national defence said in a statement.
“During the meeting, General 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 cooperation”, it said.
A defence ministry spokesperson in Delhi said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral meetings with the defence ministers of participating countries on the side-lines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meet.
The SCO membership includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India. Apart from the member states, two observer countries Belarus and Iran will also be participating in the SCO Defence Ministers Meeting on April 28.