NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar will commence a three-day diplomatic journey to Singapore and China on Sunday.He is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave in Tianjin, China, as confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

This marks Jaishankar’s initial visit to China since the bilateral relations deteriorated following the 2020 military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.“External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be visiting Singapore and the People’s Republic of China from July 13 to 15,” the MEA announced.During his Singapore visit, Jaishankar will conduct meetings with his counterpart and the country’s leadership as part of ongoing bilateral discussions.“Thereafter, the external affairs minister will visit the People’s Republic of China to participate in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (CFM) being held in Tianjin,” stated the ministry.The SCO now consists of 10 member states: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.Bilateral discussions are expected to address ongoing normalisation efforts and China’s halt on rare earth metals supply, which affects various manufacturing sectors including automotive.This visit follows recent China trips by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.This marks Jaishankar’s first China visit since the 2020 eastern Ladakh military standoff, which significantly strained bilateral relations.Wang might visit India this month for boundary dispute discussions with NSA Doval under the Special Representatives dialogue framework.