QINGDAO (China), June 27 —Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged China to work towards a “permanent solution” on border demarcation and called for a structured roadmap to ensure de-escalation of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Singh made the remarks during an in-depth meeting with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on Thursday evening, held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ summit in Qingdao.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), both sides discussed at length the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility along the India-China border.
“The Defence Minister emphasised the need for border management and a permanent solution on border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanisms,” the MoD stated on Friday.
Singh underscored the complexities of the unresolved border issues, pointing to the April 2020 military standoff in Eastern Ladakh as a turning point that created a significant trust deficit. “There is a need for a structured roadmap of permanent engagement and de-escalation,” he told Admiral Dong Jun.
Acknowledging steps taken to restore normalcy, the two ministers agreed that further consultations were necessary to make meaningful progress on disengagement, de-escalation, and border management through existing dialogue frameworks.
Singh also stressed that creating conditions for good neighbourly ties was essential to achieving mutual benefits and ensuring broader regional stability in Asia and globally.
The MoD added that Singh welcomed the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a five-year suspension and briefed his counterpart on the April 22 terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He highlighted India’s ongoing Operation Sindoor, launched to dismantle terror networks operating from Pakistan.
The meeting marked a rare high-level bilateral exchange as the two nations continue efforts to stabilize their strained relationship and reduce tensions on the disputed Himalayan frontier.
