China, Russia foreign ministers among group meeting in India

A group of foreign ministers led by China and Russia convened Friday in Goa, India, to discuss regional security, terrorism, and economic and cultural connections.

In opening remarks to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Russia, and several other Asian nations, India’s Foreign Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar criticized global institutions’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to resolve geopolitical upheaval, saying that alternative forums like the SCO can help address such challenges.

He said the events affected global supply lines, including energy, food, and fertilizer, and hit underdeveloped nations most.

“These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner,” he said. “With over 40% of the world’s population in the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact.”

Jaishankar did not address Russia’s war in Ukraine, and observers fear Moscow would use the meeting to exert its influence in the area.
China and Russia created the SCO in 2001 with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 2017 added India and Pakistan. Iran will join the group later this year.

On Friday, Jaishankar highlighted the need to fight terrorism and noted the group’s concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban took power after America’s messy exit last year.

He said cross-border terrorism must be stopped, a jab at archrival Pakistan, which sent its foreign minister to Goa in the first high-level visit to India in nearly a decade.

Pakistan denies arming and training militant groups fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or merger into Pakistan.

In his opening remarks, Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned against weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic gain.

Before the meeting, Jaishankar met with Qin Gang and Sergey Lavrov.

The Indian and Chinese foreign ministers met amid a three-year standoff between hundreds of soldiers in eastern Ladakh.

Qin stated the border situation was “stable overall” and that both parties should follow existing agreements to “promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area,” according to China’s Foreign Ministry.

After the meeting, Jaishankar tweeted that the focus was on resolving concerns and ensuring border tranquility.

Qin and Lavrov met Thursday. China buys the most Russian oil and gas, helping President Vladimir Putin avoid Western sanctions over Ukraine.

Beijing wants to mediate the war as a global diplomatic power.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said Qin would push Ukraine peace negotiations and communicate with Russia to offer “tangible contributions to a political settlement of the crisis.”

Last month, Xi Jinping suggested Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a political settlement.

China blames the U.S. and NATO for provocation and refuses to censure Moscow. It has not supported the invasion and has not offered guns or other tangible aid to the Russian troops.