NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers Meeting (SCO-DMM) in Qingdao, China.
Notably, Singh and Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif will be attending the SCO meeting, marking the first such occasion since Operation Sindoor. However, no bilateral meeting is planned with Asif.
Coincidentally, Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur, on Friday, flagged off the first batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims since the 2020 India-China border standoff on Sikkim.
It is seen as a step to ameliorate the bilateral situation. Ten batches plan to visit Kailash Mansarovar from Nathu la this year.
Singh is expected to hold bilateral meetings, including talks with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun, and Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov.
The Defence Minister last met the Admiral at the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus forum in Vientiane, in November last year.
The meeting is expected to add to the relationship normalisation process between India and China which continue to jointly deploy more than one lakh soldiers with equipment and armaments along the 832-km Eastern Ladakh since May 2020. The news was first reported by TNIE.
There has been a disengagement of troops from multiple points, including Depsang Plains and Demchok, and talks, both military and diplomatic, continue to improve the situation further. India has been steadfast in its stance on maintaining status quo, as it existed before May 2020.
In a sign of thaw, troops of the Indian Army and Chinese PLA disengaged to their designated points as per the agreement reached by the Corps Commanders of the two sides in October 2024. That disengagement was only for Depsang and Demchok. Army sources added that while the disengagement has been completed, talks will continue at local commanders’ level.
India steadfast on restoration of status quo
In October last year, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reiterated, “We want the situation that existed pre-April 2020 restored, whether it’s ground occupation, buffer zones or patrolling. Till that time... the situation remains sensitive; we are prepared to face any contingency.”