Rajnath Singh Likely To Meet Chinese Defence Minister In Moscow Today
The leaders are in the Russian capital for a defence ministerial meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, in Moscow on Friday, amid heightened India-China border tensions in Ladakh.
They are in the Russian capital for a ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and are likely to meet on the sidelines, sources said. According to them, the meeting was requested by the Chinese defence minister. "The meeting is likely to take place," said a source.
This will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides since the standoff in May. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, though, has held telephonic talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the row.
Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a bitter standoff in multiple places in eastern Ladakh. Tensions flared up in the region after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory along the southern bank of the Pangong Tso on Aug. 31. That, at a time when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the festering border row.
India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart Chinese actions. China has strongly objected to India's move. India has rushed in additional troops and weapons to Ladakh, following the Chinese attempts.
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Army Chief General MM Naravane is currently on a two-day visit to Ladakh to carry out a comprehensive review of the security situation in the region in view of the Chinese attempts.