New Delhi: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has urged China to pursue a long-term and sustainable resolution to the long-standing border dispute between the two nations, according to a statement from India’s defence ministry on Friday.
Singh conveyed this message during a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' gathering held in Qingdao on Thursday. Emphasizing the need for structured dialogue, Singh advocated for a comprehensive roadmap to address the contentious border issues.
India and China, both nuclear-armed and among the world’s most populous countries, share a 3,800-kilometre (2,400-mile) unmarked and disputed boundary in the Himalayan region. Although largely calm in recent decades, tensions erupted in 2020 when a violent clash in the Galwan Valley claimed the lives of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
That incident triggered a prolonged military standoff, with both sides deploying large troop contingents in the high-altitude terrain. A de-escalation agreement was finally reached in October 2023, easing tensions and marking a diplomatic breakthrough.
During his talks with Dong, Singh stressed the importance of rebuilding mutual trust, significantly eroded since the 2020 confrontation, according to Indian officials.
The SCO, comprising 10 Eurasian countries including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran, held this defence ministers' meeting ahead of its full summit of heads of state scheduled for later this year.
