 "India urges China for 'permanent solution' to border standoff at SCO meet")
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in Qingdao on Thursday. During the meeting, Singh said that there is a need for a “permanent solution” to the long-standing border dispute between the two nations, news agency Reuters reported.
He emphasised the importance of addressing bilateral issues through a structured and time-bound roadmap to ensure lasting peace and stability along the frontier.
Sino-Indian standoff at LAC since 2020
India and China share a 3,800-km disputed and largely undefined boundary. While tensions had remained largely subdued in recent decades, relations took a sharp downturn in 2020 after a violent clash in the Galwan Valley. The confrontation led to the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
The incident triggered a prolonged military standoff, with significant troop deployment by both sides in the high-altitude region. A disengagement agreement reached in October last year paved the way for partial de-escalation.
During the Qingdao meeting, Singh also stressed the importance of rebuilding mutual confidence. “He called for bridging the trust deficit created after the 2020 standoff,” the statement from New Delhi noted.
SCO Defence Meet: Rajnath Singh urges unity against terror
At the SCO defence ministers' meeting, Rajnath Singh strongly criticised nations using cross-border terrorism as state policy — without naming Pakistan. He called on SCO members to reject double standards and stand united against terrorism and WMDs in the hands of non-state actors.
“Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards,” he said, referencing the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
The defence minister also highlighted India’s military response through Operation Sindoor on May 7, aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure. “Terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable,” he said, urging SCO nations to hold perpetrators accountable.
He stressed that extremism and radicalisation are at the root of regional instability and called for collective, decisive action to ensure peace, security, and trust in a rapidly changing global order.
SCO Defence Meet ahead of summit
The defence ministers’ meeting is part of the run-up to the annual summit of the SCO, a 10-member Eurasian political and security grouping that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. The leaders’ summit is expected to take place later this year in the autumn.
[With agency inputs]