India launched major military maneuvers on Monday, especially along its disputed Himalayan border with China. This will continue during the G20 in New Delhi, an event that President Xi Jinping will not attend. The 11-day operation was an “annual exercise” in the northern region bordering Pakistan and China, a defense official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
In June 2020, relations between the two Asian powers became tense. At issue: a high-altitude clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers. New tensions emerged in late August, after Beijing published a map claiming land New Delhi claims as its own. Since then, tens of thousands of troops have massed on both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between India and China, but which has no clear boundaries.
Chinese Prime Minister attends G20 Summit
In August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping participated in a rare face-to-face meeting at the emerging Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) bloc summit in Johannesburg. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Monday.
