Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has arrived in India to attend a key security summit meeting amid strained ties between the countries. Li will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers' meeting on Friday in the Indian capital Delhi. This is the first visit to India by a Chinese defense minister since a deadly clash between their troops in 2020. At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed. 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. The root cause of the tensions is an ill-defined 3,440km (2,100-mile)-long disputed border in the high-altitude Himalayan region. Rivers, lakes and snowcaps along the frontier mean the line can shift, bringing soldiers face to face at many points. China's defense ministry said on Tuesday that 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 defense and security cooperation". Li and Indian Defense 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. The organization was formed by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries in 2001 as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as Nato. India and Pakistan joined the group in 2017. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will also attend the meeting in Delhi, 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. — BBC
