Rajnath meets his Chinese counterpart Wei at SCO Defence Ministers’ conclave; they agree to resolve border differences through dialogue
In the first signal of thawing of tension between two countries, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on Friday in Moscow on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defense Ministers’ conclave. The two leaders held talks on the issue of the ongoing situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and agreed to resolve the differences through dialogue at all levels.
Till late at night, neither side issued any formal statement about the outcome of the meeting which lasted 45 minutes starting 9.30 pm IST. This was the maiden meeting between the two leaders since the stand-offs began more than four months back in early May.
It is understood that both sides consented to abide by the bilateral agreements and protocols to bring peace and tranquility at the border. The meeting came following the request of the Chinese authorities, sources said here.
Incidentally, Rajnath and Fenghe had taken part in a celebration to mark 75 years of the end of World War II and Victory Day parade in June in Moscow but did not meet each other.
The meeting comes even as India at the last moment pulled out of the multi-nation military exercise under the aegis of the SCO in southern Russia. The official reason for the step was corona pandemic but sources said since China was also participating in the drill, India decided not to go in the backdrop of ongoing tension at the border.
The 15-day long exercise begins on September 14. India had taken part in this exercise last year when China and Pakistan had also participated.
The next high profile exchange between the countries will take place on September 10 when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will discuss the entire gamut of the ongoing tussle at the LAC with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. This meeting will also take place on the sideline of the External Affairs Ministers’ meet under the aegis of the SCO.
Cautioning that the ongoing scenario was more serious than even 1962 recently, Jaishankar said here on Thursday in an event this was “not the easiest of times” in the bilateral relationship with China. He also said he had known the Chinese foreign minister for a long time.
Stressing the point that he was not underplaying the challenges of the LAC, the Minister, however, said, “I am convinced that the solution to the situation has to be found in the domain of diplomacy.”
Similar views were expressed by Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla here on Friday when he said, “It is an unprecedented situation; we have never had this kind of situation since 1962. We have lost for the first time, lives of soldiers which has not happened in the last 40 years.”
He also said, “As far as we are concerned, there will be no compromise in our sovereignty & territorial integrity. At the same time, as a responsible nation, we are always willing to talk. Our communication lines are open.”
Meanwhile, earlier in the day Rajnath called for “climate of trust, cooperation and non-aggression without making any direct reference to China”. He also said the need of the hour is to honour international rules and norms.
While participating in the ongoing three-day meet of Defence Ministers in Moscow, Rajnath emphasised that “peaceful, stable and secure region of Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) member States — which is home to over 40 per cent of global population — demands a climate of trust and cooperation, non-aggression, respect for international rules and norms, sensitivity to each other’s interest and peaceful resolution of differences.”
Rajnath made these points while addressing the Combined Meeting of Defence Ministers of the SCO, Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Member States. China and Pakistan are members of the SCO. Rajnath also said, “If I may borrow an idea articulated by our Prime Minister in a different context, our goal should be ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region’.”
Referring to the threats faced by the world, Rajnath said, “We need the institutional capacity to deal with both traditional and non-traditional threats - above all, terrorism, drug-trafficking and transnational crime. As you all are aware, India unequivocally condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations and condemns its proponents. India values the works of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS). We laud RATS’ recent work in the cyber domain to prevent the spread of radicalism and extremism. The adoption of anti-terror measures by the SCO Council to counter extremist propaganda and de-radicalisation is a significant decision.”
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to the evolution of a global security architecture which will be open, transparent, inclusive, rule-based and anchored in international laws. Rajnath is on an official visit to Moscow from September 3-5 at the invitation of Russia Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu.