Rajnath Singh, Chinese Minister vow to sustain positive momentum

At the SCO Defence Ministers' meet in Qingdao, Rajnath Singh held constructive talks with China’s Admiral Don Jun, urging positive momentum in ties. India declined to endorse the joint declaration due to lack of consensus on terrorism concerns

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Don Jun, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting in China’s Qingdao.

Sharing details about the meeting, Singh posted on his X handle that it is incumbent on the two nations to maintain positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in bilateral ties. He said that he and General Don Jun had “constructive and forward-looking exchange of views” on issues related to bilateral ties.

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The Defence Minister expressed happiness at the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

“Held talks with Admiral Don Jun, the Defence Minister of China, on the sidelines of SCO Defence Minitsers’ Meeting in Qingdao.” “We had a constructive and forward looking exchange of views on issues pertaining to bilateral relations. Expressed my happiness on restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a gap of nearly six years. It is incumbent on both the sides to maintain this positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in the bilateral relationship,” wrote Singh on X handle.

A Chinese readout of the meeting stated that India does not seek confrontation with China, but rather aims to enhance communication and mutual trust.

On Thursday, India refused to endorse the joint declaration at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting, citing the exclusion of concerns around terrorism as a key reason. India stated that it wanted concerns about terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country; therefore, the statement was not adopted.

“I understand that they (Defence Ministers) could not adopt a joint statement. I also understand that certain member countries could not reach consensus on certain issues, and hence the document could not be finalised. On our side, India wanted concerns on terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country and therefore the statement was not adopted,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a weekly media briefing on Thursday.

During his address to the SCO gathering, Defence Minister Singh referred to the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali national, saying that India exercised its right to self-defence through Operation Sindoor to dismantle cross-border terror infrastructure.

He also urged the SCO nations to reject double standards and hold terror sponsors accountable.