In spite of tense relations between the two nations, China Defence Minister Li Shangfu has arrived in India to take part in a significant security summit meeting.
On Friday in the Indian capital of Delhi, Mr. Li will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting.
A Chinese defence minister is currently in India for the first time since their troops engaged in a deadly conflict in 2020.
Four Chinese soldiers and at least 20 soldiers from India perished.
The sides have had other confrontations since then, with the most recent flare-up happening in December at Tawang in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
An ill-defined 3,440km (2,100-mile)-long disputed border in the high-altitude Himalayan region is the root cause of the tensions Rivers, lakes and snowcaps along the frontier mean the line can shift, bringing soldiers face to face at many points.
China’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that Mr Li will address the conference in Delhi and “meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to communicate and exchange views on the issues of international and regional situation as well as defence and security cooperation”.
Bilateral Meeting
Mr Li and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also hold a bilateral meeting in Delhi.
The minister’s visit comes days after India and China concluded the 18th round of military talks to try to resolve the border dispute.
India became the chair of the SCO in 2023. “In 2001, China, Russia, and four Central Asian countries formed the organization as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as NATO.” India and Pakistan joined the group in 2017.
“The meeting in Delhi will be attended by Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, while Pakistan’s Khawaja Asif is expected to join virtually.”
Next week, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend an SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in India – the first visit by a top Pakistani government official to India in years.