By: IndoUS Tribune Staff

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Don Jun in Qingdao, China, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting. The talks focused on maintaining positive momentum in bilateral ties and avoiding new complexities in the India-China relationship.

Singh described the meeting as “constructive and forward-looking” in a post on X, emphasizing that both nations must work together to ensure progress in ties. He also welcomed the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after nearly six years, calling it a step in the right direction.

The Chinese side stated that India is not seeking confrontation and is instead aiming to deepen communication and mutual trust.

Despite the productive bilateral meeting, India refrained from endorsing the SCO joint declaration. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal explained that India’s concerns about terrorism were not reflected in the document due to opposition from one member country. Consequently, consensus could not be reached.

During his address at the SCO forum, Singh condemned the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali national. He defended India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the attack, as an exercise of the nation’s right to self-defence. Singh also called on SCO nations to reject double standards on terrorism and hold sponsors of terrorism accountable.

The meeting and Singh’s speech signal India’s firm stance on national security and counter-terrorism while keeping diplomatic lines open with China.