China's defence minister to attend SCO Defence Ministers' meet scheduled next week

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu have confirmed their attendance to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Minister's meeting in India next week, along with their counterparts from other member nations of the grouping. The SCO Defence Ministers' meeting is scheduled for April 27 and 28 and will be attended by representatives from India, Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.

The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting, to be chaired by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is expected to address critical issues such as terrorism, regional security, and the security situation in Afghanistan. While India has extended an invitation to Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, there has been no confirmation yet on whether he will attend the meeting. Following the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting, a meeting of the Foreign Ministers is scheduled on May 5 in Goa, which will be attended by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. 

Recent terror attack casts a shadow on Bhutto's visit

The recent terror attack in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to cast a shadow on the upcoming visits of Pakistani ministers. The visit from the Chinese defence minister also marks the first time since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that the Chinese Defence Minister will be visiting Delhi, amid ongoing border tensions between India and China.

Despite disengagement at certain friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, no resolution has been reached on the legacy friction points, and incidents like the clash between Chinese and Indian troops at Yangtse in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh in December last year further highlight the simmering border tensions between the two countries.

Here is what you need to know about the SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional intergovernmental organisation founded in 2001, and headquartered in Beijing, China. It was initially established by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with India and Pakistan joining as full members in 2017. The SCO aims to promote regional cooperation in various areas, including security, economy, culture, and humanitarian issues, among its member states.

The SCO operates through various decision-making bodies, including the Heads of State Council, Heads of Government Council, Council of Foreign Ministers, and the Secretariat, which is the main executive body of the organisation. The SCO holds annual summits and regular ministerial-level meetings to discuss and coordinate regional policies and initiatives.