Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun in Bishkek on Tuesday, with discussions focused on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and broader regional security issues, including the ongoing West Asia crisis.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ conclave, at a time when India and China are working to stabilise and repair strained bilateral ties.
“It was a pleasure to interact with the Defence Minister of China Admiral Dong Jun during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek,” Singh said on social media.
According to the Ministry of Defence, both ministers exchanged views on regional and global security developments, with particular attention to the situation in West Asia. It is learnt that they also discussed the LAC situation and emphasised the need to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas.
Over the past few months, India and China have taken a series of steps to reset ties that were severely strained following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. After multiple rounds of diplomatic and military talks, disengagement was achieved at several friction points along the eastern Ladakh border.
In October 2024, both sides finalised a disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok, the last remaining friction points in the region. Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan, during which they agreed on measures to improve bilateral relations.
PM Modi also visited Tianjin in August last year for the SCO summit, where he held detailed discussions with Xi Jinping and reiterated India’s commitment to advancing ties based on “mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.”
Separately, Rajnath Singh also met Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.
“Great interaction with Russian Defence Minister, Andrei Belousov during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meet in Bishkek,” Singh said on ‘X’.
Sources indicated that the two leaders discussed ongoing defence cooperation, including Russia’s supply of S-400 air defence systems to India. In 2018, India signed a $5 billion deal for five S-400 units, three of which have already been delivered. The fourth is expected shortly, while the fifth is likely to arrive in November.
Last month, India also approved the procurement of five additional S-400 systems from Russia, taking the total planned fleet to 10.
Singh also held talks with Belarus Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. “Delighted to meet the Minister of Defence of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek. Our talks focussed on strengthening defence cooperation between both the countries,” Singh said on ‘X’.
The Defence Ministry said India underlined its priority on building a mutually beneficial partnership with Belarus, with a focus on capacity building and training.
In addition, Singh met his Kyrgyz counterpart Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich and Kazakh Defence Minister, discussing ways to deepen bilateral defence cooperation.
The Defence Minister arrived in Bishkek on Monday to attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ conclave.
(With inputs from PTI)