Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is set to visit India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) defense ministers' meeting on April 27 and 28. This marks the first visit by a Chinese defense minister to India since the ongoing three-year standoff between Indian and Chinese militaries in eastern Ladakh. Li's visit presents a rare opportunity for the two countries' leaders to resolve the LAC conflict.
Li will address the conference and meet with the heads of delegations from relevant countries to exchange views on international and regional situations, as well as defense and security cooperation. He and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu are also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the meeting.
The India-China standoff has sent bilateral ties plummeting to their worst in decades, with both sides deploying thousands of troops and heavy armament along the LAC. A deadly clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020 left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead—the first fatalities along the LAC since 1975.
Li's visit comes within days of the 18th round of military talks between the two countries held on the Chinese side of the LAC on Sunday. However, several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have failed to resolve the ongoing standoff.
Under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries, both sides have agreed to maintain close contact and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and speed up the settlement of relevant issues on the western section of the China-India boundary to continue safeguarding peace and tranquility in the border areas.
In March, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of a G20 meeting and suggested working toward regular management of the border. Jaishankar called Sino-India ties "abnormal" and emphasized the need for open and candid discussions to address the real problems in the relationship.