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Rajnath Singh to visit China for SCO meet, first post-Op Sindoor face-off with Pak minister likely
This will be Rajnath Singh's first overseas trip since India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May read more
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meet in Qingdao from June 25 to 27.
This will be his first overseas trip since India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May. Interestingly, his Pakistani counterpart Khwaja Asif is also supposed to be present at the summit.
India-China working to normalise ties
The visit comes as both India and China trudge towards normalisation in their relationship after a protracted period of tensions following deadly clashes in the Himalayas in 2020.
Over the past few months, bilateral relations have improved, marked by resumption of trade, travel and dialogue.
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India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in April told Network 18 that ties between the two Asian giants were 'much better'.
'The relationship is much better than before. I think the disengagement, particularly the Depsang Demchok, was important,' the EAM said.
'We are now addressing, to some extent, the issues on the border because there has been a force build-up over a period of years. Many other things also happened during this period. Some of it was collateral to the situation, and some of it was a carryover from the Covid era,' he said.
This visit by the defence minister also coincides with the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which has been facilitated by the Chinese authorities.
Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
India and China are engaged in discussions aimed at further easing border tensions and strengthening bilateral relations. Singh's upcoming meeting follows his earlier interaction with Admiral Dong Jun at the ADMM-Plus summit in Laos, marking their first engagement since the recent border disengagement agreement.
This potential visit is part of broader diplomatic efforts to normalise India-China relations, with possible talks on restoring air connectivity, sharing hydrological data, and promoting visa facilitation and people-to-people exchanges.
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During recent discussions in Delhi between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, India had reaffirmed its support for China's presidency of the SCO.
Challenges
Despite the recent thaw, challenges still persist in Indo-Sino co-operation.
One of the major issues is China's open economic and military support to Pakistan.
It was not clear whether Singh would bring up the issue during his upcoming interaction with the Chinese authorities.
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