China Skips Confidential G20 Meet In Arunachal: Sources

China skipped a confidential G20 meeting held in India on Sunday, sources said. The meeting was held in Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh, a northeastern state that China claims is a part of Tibet. India has rejected such claims in the past and maintains Arunachal is its integral part.

Over 50 delegates attended the meeting, which is among the dozens of events planned across 50 major cities ahead of the G20 summit in Delhi in September. India currently holds the G20 presidency.

It is unclear if China has officially lodged a protest with India over the meeting.

Neither Foreign ministry nor China has commented on it.

The weekend meeting was declared confidential and media coverage was not permitted.

Themed ‘Research innovation initiative, gathering’, the meeting was organised by the Science and Technology department.

The delegates who attended the meet also visited Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly and a Buddhist monastery in Itanagar. Upon their arrival, they were received by cultural troupes at the airport. They also tasted local cuisines, said officials.

India and Chinese troops had clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the state’s Tawang sector last December, in a face-off that came amid a months-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had then accused China of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo along the LAC.