As logjam persisted at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called for exercising self-restraint and avoid actions that may worsen situation.
He was speaking at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), a platform comprising 10-nation ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners, including India and China.
Rajnath’s counterpart Weng Fei was also present. The two leaders had held more than two-hour long one on one face to face talks two months ago on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow. The two Ministers had then discussed ways to defuse tension at the LAC.
The latest note of caution by Rajnath came in the backdrop of aggressive military behavior of China in Ladakh, South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region.
Rajnath also said self restraint has to be observed in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation.
In his address, Rajnath talked about “the current regional environment with visible strains”, and appreciated the central role of ASEAN-led forums, including ADMM-Plus in promoting dialogue and engagement towards a pluralistic, cooperative security order in Asia.
“As we enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation, will go a long way in bringing sustained peace to the region,” he said.
The Defence Minister also said the ability of the grouping to collectively respond to challenges based on the fundamentals of freedom, inclusivity and openness in the region will define its future.
“Threats to the rules based order, maritime security, cyber related crimes and terrorism, just to name a few, remain the challenges that we need to address as a forum,” Rajnath said.
On the Indo-Pacific region, the Minister said an impetus has to be given to cultivate strategic trust and continuously promote ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture.
“The concepts of ‘vasudhaive kutumbakam’ ‘the whole world is one family’ and ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah’ ‘all be at peace’ are the core of the Indian civilisation. Therefore, inclusivity, equality and openness are the principles underlining this concept,” he said.
The Defence Minister also called for sustained efforts to address the threats of bio-terrorism, transnational trafficking and pandemics, and emphasised on building capacity to address shared security challenges.
“Our composition is another pillar of our strength as it includes defence ministries of 18 key countries that are major stakeholders in the regional security dynamic,” he said.
Rajnath also underlined the need for confronting the challenges emerging from the coronavirus pandemic. Warning that the “disruptive effect of the pandemic is still unfolding”, he said Covid-19 has changed the world and left us many hurdles to overcome. The challenge is, therefore, to make sure that the world economy moves on the path of recovery and when it does gather steam, to ensure that the recovery leaves no one behind, he added.
The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in 2010. The defence ministers then had agreed on five areas of practical cooperation to pursue under the new mechanism, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations.