For the first time since the violent clash in Galwan in May 2020, China's Defence Minister General Li Shangfu will meet his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on Thursday.
Li is considered a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Though he is coming for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defence Ministers meeting, the talks with Singh are expected to focus on resolving the standoff in Ladakh.
What did Chinese Defence Ministry say before Li's visit to India?
Ahead of Li's visit, the Chinese Defence Ministry spoke positively about the 18th round of the Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on April 23. It said both sides have agreed to “speed up” the settlement of “relevant issues” related to the prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh, besides safeguarding peace in the border areas.
An editorial in the State-run Global Times newspaper said the content of China-India relationship is broad and rich, and should not be tied to or constrained by border frictions. “The problems considered thorny in the Western world perhaps can be solved by Eastern wisdom. We look forward to China and India setting an example,” it said.
About the SCO meet
India is the Chair of the SCO, an intergovernmental organisation formed in 2001 with Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, besides India, as members. Two observer nations - Belarus and Iran - will also participate in the meeting in Delhi, which Pakistan has decided to skip.
"The Defence Ministers will discuss amongst other issues matters concerning regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and an effective multilateralism," the government said in a statement.
