Rajnath to China: Existing border pact violations 'eroded' basis of ties

At a nearly 45-minute meeting with Li, amid three-year border row, Singh conveyed to the Chinese defence minister that development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace at border

In a clear message, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu that China’s violation of agreements along the frontier in eastern Ladakh “eroded” the entire basis of bilateral ties and that all issues must be resolved in acc­ordance with the existing pacts.

At a nearly 45-minute meeting with Li, amid the three-year border row, Singh also conveyed to the Chinese defence minister that the development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the border. 

Li's visit to New Delhi to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organi­sation (SCO) is the first by a Chinese defence minister to India after the eastern Ladakh border standoff began in May 2020. In a statement, the defence ministry said the two ministers had "frank" discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. “The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations  is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders,” it said.