India, China hold border talks ahead of SCO meeting

The Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China held the 18th round of Corps Commander talks on Sunday to resolve tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This came ahead of Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu's New Delhi visit for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. Both nations have been engaged in a border row for nearly three years.

• The Chinese and Indian armies have so far held 18 rounds of military talks, but problems at Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in the Demchok sector and Depsang Plains in the Daulet Beg Oldi sector are yet to be resolved.
• Notably, the latest round of talks were held on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo meeting point for the first time since December 2022.

These talks were held ahead of the Chinese defense minister's India visit for the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting to be held in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday. Besides Shangfu, his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu will also reportedly hold bilateral talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, while the main SCO Defense Ministers' Meeting will take place a day later.

Shangfu's visit for the SCO defense ministers' meeting comes at a time when India and China are engaged in a significant border row. It will also mark the first Chinese defense minister's visit to India since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that escalated bilateral tensions. Reportedly, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a deadly seven-hour conflict near Galwan's Patrolling Point 14 in June 2020.

After the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting, India will also host the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in May. These meetings are set to culminate in the SCO Summit, scheduled to take place in July—the first time that India will be hosting the event since joining the grouping in 2017. The SCO includes eight member nations: India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, during the last round of border talks in December 2022, India and China reportedly agreed to maintain stability and security on the ground in the LAC's Western Sector. "The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest," said an official release.