Rajnath Singh to travel to China; security cooperation on agenda

This will the first trip to China by an Indian Home Minister in a decade

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China today, the first trip by an Indian Home Minister to the country in a decade, during which he will discuss ways to boost security ties and smuggling of arms to Northeast militants.

Singh's six-day visit comes in the backdrop of steady improvement of relations between the two countries while streamlining mechanisms to address the vexed border dispute.

"I am looking forward to my visit to China. Hope it would help in deepening of mutual understanding and trust. During my China visit I intend to further strengthen the tradition of mutual learning and better understanding from each other," he said in a statement here.

Shivraj Patil was the last Home Minister who had visited China in 2005.

During his visit, Singh, the second highest ranking Indian leader after Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit China in May this year, would spend three days in Beijing followed by a three-day stay in Shanghai.

Besides holding talks with his counterparts in China's political dispensation, Singh is also expected to call on Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

His visit closely follows a rare visit by China's topmost military official to India.

Gen Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), visited India and Pakistan last week, also the first tour by China's highest ranking military official to both the countries in a decade.