Rajnath Singh, Chinese Defence Minister likely to meet in Moscow amid India-China border row

PTI phtoto

NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tensions in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on Friday (September 4) evening in Moscow on the sidelines of a ministerial meet of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), government sources said.

It will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides after the border row escalated in eastern Ladakh in early May. Earlier, Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had held telephonic talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the row.

Singh and Wei are in Moscow to attend a meeting of the SCO defence ministers on Friday. India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are part of the SCO grouping.

Sources said that Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe had on Thursday requested for a meet with Singh on the sidelines of the SCO meet. Sources had earlier said that a meeting with his Chinese counterpart during the 3-day event was not on Singh's schedule. India has urged China to sincerely engage with it to restore peace and tranquillity in border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation.

On Thursday, India had said the ongoing situation at the LAC is due to 'direct result of action' by China. 

Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a bitter standoff in multiple places in eastern Ladakh. India recently outflanked China by taking control of strategic height near Pangong lake's southern bank. It thwarted an attempt by the Chinese army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh.At least two rounds of Brigade-Commander level talks have taken place ever since China tried to unilaterally change the status quo.