NEW DELHI (TIP): Home minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a five-day visit to China starting November 19 to discuss border irritants, terror concerns and security liaisoning. Singh, who will be touring Beijing and Shanghai, is likely to enlist the Chinese government’s cooperation to choke illegal supply of arms to insurgent groups operating in India‘s north-east.

As per the schedule drawn up for Singh’s maiden visit to China as home minister, he will reach Beijing on November 18 and hold bilateral discussions over the next two days with his Chinese counterpart and others. The deliberations may seek to resolve the recurring issue of incursions by PLA troops into what India perceives as its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Singh is expected to emphasize on the Chinese side to follow the laid-down mechanism for addressing border disagreements, including holding timely flag meetings between commanders on the ground.

Singh, incidentally, has been taking a firm line on border incursions, apart from insisting on going ahead with the plan to build border roads in Ladakh as well as in the north-east. He had recently spent a night at an ITBP forward post in Ladakh.

The home minister will spend two days in Shanghai, attending meetings on November 22 and 23. He will head back to Delhi on November 24.

Singh will look to strengthen security liaisoning, seeking timely sharing of intelligence and follow-up action on leads between the two countries. He is expected to take up the issue of funding and sale of illegal arms to north-east insurgent groups.

The issue of terror concerns is likely to come up during Singh’s deliberations with the Chinese government. China faces heightened threat from the Uighurs of its Xingjiang province, with some hardliners among them reportedly having joined the Islamic State (IS). India too is dealing with select instances of its youth being drawn towards violent extremism perpetrated by IS. The two sides are expected to exchanges notes on measures to deal with such threats.