India has stressed to have for a permanent solution to border demarcation with China by rejuvenating the established mechanism and calling for bridging the trust deficit created between the two nations after the 2020 border standoff. New Delhi also underlined the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the Indo-China border and to solve issues through a structured roadmap of permanent engagement and de-escalation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in China. Mr Singh acknowledged the work being undertaken by both sides to bring back a semblance of normalcy in the bilateral relations. He also emphasised 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. They agreed to continue consultations at various levels to achieve progress on issues related to disengagement, de-escalation, border management and eventual delimitation.

During the meeting, Rajnath Singh briefed his counterpart on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor aimed at dismantling the terrorist networks in Pakistan.