Rajnath said that amicable relations between India and China would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity.
Credit: X/@rajnathsingh
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun and suggested moving forward on the next step in restoring normalcy in eastern Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control.
At a bilateral meeting in Vientiane, Lao PDR on the sidelines of the ADDM Plus, the two countries agreed on “rebuilding mutual trust” even as Singh said that India would look forward to “greater trust and confidence-building between the two sides through de-escalation”, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.
This comes nearly a month after the two countries announced resumption of patrolling in the last two face-off points – Depsang and Demchok – ending four years of a bitter stand-off. The frictions at five other face-off points were resolved earlier.
Rajnath stressed on the need to reflect on the lessons learnt from the unfortunate border clashes of 2020 – a veiled reference to the Galwan episode in which soldiers from both sides lost lives.
He said that the two countries should take measures to prevent recurrence of such events and safeguard peace and tranquility along the India-China border.
Both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding.
The talks between the two defence ministers took place a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had fruitful discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on other trust-building measures such as resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and direct bilateral flights.
Rajnath said that amicable relations between India and China would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity. “We need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict, as we are and will remain neighbours,” he said.
The Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army completed at least one round of patrolling at Depsang and Demchok by the first week of November. The army now looks at the next two steps of “de-escalation” and “de-induction” to further normalise the situation.
The Defence Minister reached Vientiane on a three-day visit during which he would attend the 11th ADMM-Plus on November 21 and participate in at least six bilateral talks. Besides Admiral Dong, he also had talks with his counterparts from Lao PDR and Malaysia on Wednesday. Three more bilateral talks with Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are scheduled on Thursday.