Li Shangfu, the Chinese defence minister, came in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the meeting of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which will take place on Friday in the National Capital. At the bilateral meeting with Rajnath Singh of India, Li Shangfu will also participate. Following the border crossing in Galwan, this is the Chinese Defence Minister’s first visit.
India and China recently held the 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.
India, and China during the 18th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting, agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector of the LAC.
The meeting took place after a gap of five months. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was held in December last year.
Meanwhile, the Indian Defence Minister is also likely to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The Russian Defence Minister last visited India for the first India-Russia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in December 2021.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001. The SCO members include 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, said the Ministry of Defence statement.
The Defence Ministers will discuss matters concerning regional peace and security, counter-terrorism efforts within SCO and effective multilateralism, the statement said.
The theme of India’s Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is ‘Secure-SCO’. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region.