- Rajnath Singh met Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun at SCO Defence Ministers Meeting in Qingdao
- Mr Singh proposed a four-point plan to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control
- The plan includes adherence to the 2024 disengagement pact and fast-tracking boundary demarcation
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday met his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao. The bilateral conversation, India's highest-level military dialogue with China in recent months, centred around maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and charting a roadmap for long-term border stability.
A Four-Point Roadmap
During the meeting, Mr Singh proposed a four-point plan designed to prevent further deterioration in India-China relations:
1. Strict Adherence to the 2024 Disengagement Agreement: Both sides are expected to honour and implement the disengagement pact signed in October last year, covering the remaining friction points in Eastern Ladakh, particularly Demchok and Depsang.
2. De-escalation Measures: Mr Singh called for continuous efforts to de-escalate tensions and avoid any flare-ups along the LAC.
3. Demarcation and Delimitation: Mr Singh urged for fast-tracked negotiations towards finalising the boundary delineation process. " Mr Singh stressed on border management and to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue," a government statement read.
4. Addressing Trust Deficit: The Defence Minister stressed the need to create good neighbourly conditions to achieve the "best mutual benefits" as well as to cooperate for stability in Asia and the world. He also called for bridging the "trust deficit" created after the 2020 border standoff.
This dialogue marks the first high-level military engagement since India and China concluded the disengagement process at Demchok and Depsang Plains in October 2024. That agreement was the outcome of intense negotiations, culminating in the October 23 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping meeting in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
The meeting coincided with the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a nearly six-year suspension. Originally halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended due to the border standoff, the pilgrimage to the Tibet Autonomous Region was viewed by both sides as a symbolic gesture towards normalisation.
Terrorism and Pakistan
Mr Singh also raised the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, particularly referencing the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam which left 26 people dead. Mr Singh briefed his Chinese counterpart on Operation Sindoor, India's counter-terrorism campaign aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
Mr Singh refused to sign the joint SCO Defence Ministers' declaration that omitted any reference to terrorism or the Pahalgam attack. India viewed the exclusion as a deliberate attempt to downplay terrorism in the region. The final text of the SCO document instead made reference to Balochistan, which New Delhi interpreted as a veiled accusation.
