"The Chinese defence minister had requested for the meeting with the Indian defence minister thrice in last 80 days," sources say.

India's defence minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart on Friday in Moscow on his insistence. In fact, sources say the Chinese side had requested for the meeting thrice in last 80 days.

"The Chinese defence minister had requested for the meeting with the Indian defence minister thrice in last 80 days," sources say.

"The Chinese minister had even chosen to come down to the Indian defence minister's hotel for the dialogue."

The request for a meeting was also submitted to India when Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh had visited Moscow for the victory day parade in June. That time India had denied the request. 

That visit came after the Galwan incident in which India lost 20 soldiers in the clashes, and while China also suffered casualties it did not come up with any figure.

It's believed that one of the main causes of Chinese insistence this time was India taking swift action and getting an upper hand by taking up positions in higher reaches at the southern bank of Pangong lake.

This was the first in-person political engagement between the two sides.