New Delhi: India and China need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun in Laos Wednesday as both leaders reviewed ongoing efforts to ease military tensions at the border.
Singh’s comments came after the two held bilateral talks that lasted for an hour, on the first day of the Indian minister’s visit to Vientiane city, Laos.
Singh told Admiral Dong Jun that amicable relations between India and China would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). “Considering that both countries are and will continue to remain neighbours, he mentioned that we need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict,” it read.
Singh urged that lessons learnt from the “unfortunate border clashes of 2020” be reflected upon, to prevent the repeat of such events and to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the India-China border. He also said that India looked forward to greater trust and confidence-building between the two sides through de-escalation, the defence ministry said, adding that both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding.
The meeting between Singh and his Chinese counterpart came two days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the margins of the G20 summit in Brazil.
On 21 October, the Indian and Chinese militaries signed an agreement to disengage from the Depsang Plains and Demchok in Ladakh. They also agreed to restart patrolling. On 12 November, both countries completed their first set of patrols in the Depsang Plains.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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