Rajnath Discusses Disengagement, De-Escalation With China In SCO; Reaffirms India’s Stand On Cross Border Terrorism

In a firm and clear message, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed to Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Don Jun, that India will continue its fight against cross-border terrorism. The crucial bilateral meeting was held on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in the Chinese city of Qingdao.

The Indian defence minister emphasised the need to create "good neighbourly conditions" to achieve the best mutual benefits and called for "taking action on the ground" to bridge the "trust deficit" resulting from the 2020 eastern Ladakh border standoff, according to an Indian readout.

Singh also briefed Dong on the Pahalgam terror attack targeting innocent civilians, and India's Operation Sindoor to dismantle the terrorist networks in Pakistan, the defence ministry said in New Delhi.

What Did The Indian Readout Say?

The readout described the conversation between Singh and Jun and according to that document, the two ministers agreed to continue consultations at various levels to achieve progress on issues related to disengagement, de-escalation, border management and eventual delimitation through existing mechanisms.

Singh emphasized that "Operation Sindoor" will continue, reaffirming India’s strong resolve to defend itself against any terror activities originating from across its borders. He stated that neighbouring countries must take note of this unwavering commitment and urged China to avoid creating new problems in the bilateral relationship.

This high-level engagement is particularly significant as it marks the first visit to China by a senior Indian minister since the relationship between the two nations came under severe strain following the military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which began in May 2020, and the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, recent diplomatic efforts have aimed to mend the relations. The talks in Qingdao also included discussions on de-escalation and disengagement along the border and reviewed the progress of the Special Representatives (SR) level talks on the boundary dispute.

Despite the firm message on security, the meeting also had positive and forward-looking elements. Singh expressed his happiness over the restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a nearly six-year gap, stressing that both sides must work to maintain this "positive momentum."

The Indo-China joint efforts to eliminate terrorism and extremism, is seen as the next step towards a strategic re-engagement between the two Asian giants, following a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Indo-China Ties | Background

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists.

The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe downturn in ties between the two neighbours.

The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year.

In December last, NSA Doval visited Beijing and held talks with Wang under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary dispute.

The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other such dialogue formats was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23.

The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok.

Doval visited China this week as well to attend a conclave of top security officials of the SCO.