New Delhi set to host key Russia-India-China meeting

World
Europe

China’s military has lodged a protest after an Indian drone violated Chinese airspace and crash-landed “recently”, Xinhua reported on Thursday, days ahead of a scheduled meeting next week of the Chinese foreign minister with his Indian and Russian counterparts in New Delhi.

The trilateral meeting is significant as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s India visit will be the first by a Chinese minister following the Donglang border standoff between the two Asian neighbors earlier this year. It is not clear if the new drone incident will be brought up during Wang’s talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intruded into China's airspace and crashed, and Chinese border troops verified that the vehicle was from India, Zhang Shuili, of China’s Western Theater Command, told Chinese state news agency Xinhua. The report did not say where or when exactly the alleged incident happened.

India's Ministry of Defense (MoD) later responded to the Chinese complaint, saying the drone's intrusion was caused by a technical malfunction. "The matter is being dealt with in accordance with the established protocols through institutional mechanisms designed to deal with situations along the India-China border areas," it added.

'Coordination of efforts'

February 2, 2015, L-R: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attend the 13th Meeting of Russian, Indian and Chinese Foreign Ministers in Beijing, China. /Xinhua Photo

New Delhi is preparing to host a key meeting of the Russian, Indian and Chinese (RIC) foreign ministers on December 11. Both the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries on Wednesday confirmed their participation in the meeting, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to join Wang and Swaraj.

“The parties are expected to exchange views in detail on the current situation in the region and around the globe, including on developments in Afghanistan, the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

India is likely to seek a strong commitment from Russia and China against terrorism and push for them to designate certain Pakistan-based groups as terrorist after a similar move by BRICS in September, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

September 4, 2017, L-R: BRICS leaders, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob Zuma, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a group photo at the BRICS Summit in Xiamen in southeastern China’s Fujian Province. /Xinhua Photo)

During the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, the bloc for the first time named Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfits.

“Special attention will be paid to combating terrorism, drug trafficking and ensuring international information security," Zakharova added.

With Beijing, Moscow and New Delhi being members of several major international groupings, the spokesperson joint work between the three sides within these institutions.

“The parties will discuss coordination of efforts within the UN, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the G20, the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Security Forum,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Zakharova as saying.

"The coordinated approaches to pressing global and regional issues will be reflected in the final joint communique," she added.

Russia's deputy foreign minister Segey Ryabkov (3rd R) leads a delegation during talks with Indian officials led by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar (3rd L) in New Delhi, India, December 6, 2017. /Photo via India's Ministry of External Affairs

The Russian foreign minister's visit to New Delhi was preceded by one by his deputy Sergey Ryabkov, who held talks with Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar there on Wednesday.

The last RIC foreign ministers' meeting was held in Moscow on April 18 last year. On that occasion, “the exchange of views confirmed the three countries’ identical or similar approaches to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria, the prospects for promoting the Middle Eastern settlement, and the situation in Afghanistan and Ukraine,” a joint communique said.

Contentious issues

Indian media reported that Wang will also hold bilateral meeting with Swaraj on the sidelines of the RIC talks.

November 11, 2009: A sign is seen from the Indian side of the Indo-China border. /Reuters Photo

They are expected to discuss contentious issues including India’s concern over the China-led Belt and Road Initiative and Beijing’s position on India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group as well as boundary issues following the months-long standoff over Donglang this summer.

The Chinese Foreign Minister's visit for RIC will be followed by Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi's trip to New Delhi in the third week of December for boundary talks with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

(With inputs from agencies)

[Top photo, L-R: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the 14th Meeting of Russian, Indian and Chinese (RIC) Foreign Ministers, in Moscow, Russia, on April 18, 2016. /Reuters Photo]

3786km