Qin to meet counterparts of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in India

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Goa state on May 4 and 5.

During the meeting, which will be held in Panaji, the capital of Goa, Qin will exchange views with other SCO member-states' foreign ministers on the international and regional situations, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on May 2.

This will be Qin's second visit to India after he became foreign minister. The SCO ministers are likely to discuss energy security, regional stability issues, economic and trade investment ties, the Afghan problem during the meeting, an official familiar with the matter said.

"At the meeting, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will exchange views with other SCO member states' foreign ministers on the international and regional situation and SCO cooperation in various fields, among other topics, to make full preparation for this year's SCO summit," the ministry spokesperson said.

"Let's hope that it is the beginning of a new chapter in Sino-India relations, and Qin's visit has immense significance in the current context," said Professor Sreemati Chakrabarty, chairperson of the Institute of Chinese Studies and former dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delhi.

Recalling the meeting between Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in December 1988 in Beijing, where both leaders expressed a desire to overcome tensions, and open a new era of friendly relations, Chakrabarty emphasized that improving bilateral relations is beneficial to both countries.

Qin's visit to India this week came after Defence Minister Li Shangfu's trip to New Delhi to attend the SCO defense ministers meeting on April 27, during which Li held talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

The two sides held the 18th round of Corps Commanders level talks on April 23 on the eastern Ladakh border.

In early March, Qin visited India to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting and met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the meeting.

Their March meeting had laid down the atmosphere for improving bilateral relations. Therefore, they will pursue this track one again and enhance the understanding between the two sides, said Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, dean of School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

With the Ukrainian conflict going on, the SCO states will also try to find ways leading to resolving the problem, Kondapalli said.

Qin may also discuss the Afghan crisis and the country's reconstruction with the rest of his SCO counterparts since it is related to regional stability, said Kondapalli.

Since the SCO meeting is a multilateral forum, Qin's visit should not be expected to be path-breaking or leading to a thaw in India-China relationship, said Rajiv Ranjan, a professor at the Institute of Global Studies, Shanghai University, and an adjunct fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi.

Leaders from both sides are trying their best to keep the relationship stable and continue communicating with each other to avoid further complicating the situation, Ranjan added.

Qin was earlier in Myanmar for a visit starting May 2.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.