With terror in focus, Swaraj departs for China for RIC meet

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday departed for a two-day visit to China to attend the Russia-India-China (RIC) meet.

The External Affairs Minister will meet her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the trilateral meeting.

"The Ministers are expected to exchange views on the global situation, regional developments of common concern, address global challenges such as terrorism and discuss trilateral exchanges and activities," according to the external affairs ministry.

It is important to note that the meeting comes in the backdrop of the airstrikes carried out by the Indian Air Force deep inside Pakistan, destroying a major camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a terrorist organisation which claimed responsibility of orchestrating the Pulwama attack.

With counter-terrorism on the agenda, Swaraj is expected to raise the issue during her dialogue with her Chinese and Russian counterparts. She is also expected to push for the long pending demand of designating JeM chief Masood Azhar as a UN proscribed terrorist.

A proposal to list Azhar is pending before the UN Security Council but it is being blocked by China. India has been urging the international community to put pressure on China to lift its blockade.

It may be recalled that the last RIC Foreign Ministerial Meeting had been held in New Delhi on 11 December 2017.