Rajnath tells China to Reflect on Lessons from Border Clashes

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Rajnath Stresses on Trust Through De-escalation in Meeting with Chinese Defence Minister

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, November 20: Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun in Vientiane on the sidelines of 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus at Vientiane, Lao PDR. Singh emphasised on greater trust and confidence building between the two sides through de-escalation.

The meeting of Singh with his Chinese counterpart came a day after Union Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met China’s Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi. Reports said that Jaishankar and Wang discussed Mansarovar Yatra and direct flight between India and China.
Singh told his Chinese counterpart that “amicable India-China relations would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity”. He also stated that there is a “need to focus on cooperation rather that conflict”.

The meeting came at a time when India and China are in the midst of de-escalation in eastern Ladakh after the completion of the process of disengagement of the troops of the two sides. India and China faced each other across the line of actual control after the military build up in the wake of the 2020 Galwan skirmish.

Singh’s meeting with Dong is the first of the two Defence Ministers following the recent disengagement agreements, and the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of BRICS summit in Kazan in Russia.

Singh highlighted the fact that “amicable relations between India and China, the two largest nations in the world, would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity”. “Both countries are and will continue to remain neighbours, and we need to focus on cooperation rather that conflict,” added Singh.

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Singh called for “reflecting on the lessons learnt from the unfortunate border clashes of 2020, take measures to prevent recurrence of such events and safeguard peace and tranquillity along the India-China border”.

He emphasised and looked forward to greater trust and confidence building between the two sides through de-escalation. “Both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding,” said the Ministry of Defence in a media statement.

Earlier in the day, Singh arrived at Vientiane on a three-day visit. He will attend the 11^th ADMM-Plus on November 21, 2024 and address the forum on regional and international security issues.

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