Gen. Li’s visit to India is crucial since it coincides with the tense stalemate between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh, which has been ongoing since May 2020.
General Li Shangfu, China’s defense minister, was due to arrive in India this week to attend the SCO defense ministers meeting, which will begin on April 27. During this time, he is anticipated to speak with Rajnath Singh, his Indian counterpart, about resolving the protracted standoff in eastern Ladakh, which has severely strained bilateral relations.
According to a press release from China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), the Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will convene in New Delhi, India, on April 27 and 28. There will also be a State Councilor and Minister of Defense, General Li Shangfu.
General Li will speak at the conference and meet with the leaders of delegations from relevant nations to discuss and exchange ideas on problems pertaining to global and regional situations as well as defense and security cooperation, according to the announcement. Gen. Li and Defense Minister Singh are anticipated to meet in private and chat about the development of the military and diplomatic negotiations to end the protracted standoff.
Li Shangfu, a US-backed general, was appointed as China’s new defense minister a month ago. He has been sanctioned by the US since 2018, and his nomination comes at a time when relations between the two countries, China and the US, are tense, according to CNN. Meanwhile, India and China have a lengthy history of border violations, the most recent of which occurred in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022. Notably, a clash occurred in Galwan in June 2020 when Chinese troops attempted to change the status quo on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.