Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun held bilateral discussions with several of his counterparts from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries, including India's Rajnath Singh.
According to Chinese media reports, the meetings took place on the sidelines of a two-day SCO Defence Ministers’ conclave hosted in a Chinese port city.
While India has not officially confirmed the meeting between Singh and Dong, the Chinese side issued a readout noting that India does not seek confrontation with China and is committed to improving communication and building mutual trust.
The meeting comes in the context of long-standing tensions between India and China following the eastern Ladakh border standoff, which began in May 2020. The situation escalated dramatically with the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, leading to a sharp deterioration in bilateral ties.
India has consistently emphasised that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for the overall normalisation of relations with China.
Tensions have gradually eased after a series of military and diplomatic engagements. The final phase of disengagement at the Demchok and Depsang friction points was concluded under an agreement reached on October 21, 2024.
In a significant diplomatic move, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Beijing in December and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on boundary issues.
This renewed effort to manage the border dispute through structured dialogue was set in motion following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23. Their discussion came just two days after both sides agreed on disengagement terms for Depsang and Demchok.