China’s Defense Minister reaches Delhi after Galvan incident, will attend SCO meeting, possibility of bilateral talks with Rajnath Singh
The Fact India: For the first time after the Galvan incident, a Chinese minister is visiting India. Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu has arrived in Delhi on 28 April to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers’ meeting. India will host the SCO Defense Ministers’ meeting on April 28 as the Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2023. According to the Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh may hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu.
Ahead of the SCO meeting, the 18th round of India-China Corps Commander level talks were held on Sunday. But it failed to make progress on the contentious issue of Depsang Plains and de-escalation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. A situation of tension has arisen between India and China many times. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has attempted to violate the LAC several times. Tension in Ladakh, prompted the institution of Corps Commander-level meetings. While both sides agreed to mutual withdrawal from Pangong Tso, Gogra and Hot Springs, the Depsang Plains and Demchok remain points of contention and tension.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was formed in 2001. Apart from India, SCO includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Apart from the member states, two observer countries- Belarus and Iran will also participate in the SCO Defense Ministers’ meeting. After the meeting of Defense Ministers of SCO countries, there will be a meeting of Foreign Ministers in Goa on May 5. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto will attend this meeting. Its confirmation has come. But Pakistan has not yet given any information about its participation in the meeting of Defense Ministers which is going to be held in Delhi.
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