New Delhi. India and China on Wednesday agreed to work towards a roadmap for restoration of mutual trust and understanding. Along with this, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, during his talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun, called for learning from the “unfortunate border conflicts” of 2020.
The defense ministers of both the countries met in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. This meeting has taken place at a time when just a few weeks ago the Indian and Chinese armies have completed the process of withdrawal of troops from the two last conflict sites in eastern Ladakh.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for restoration of mutual trust and understanding.
It said that in the delegation-level talks, Singh emphasized that cordial relations between India and China will have a positive impact on global peace and prosperity. On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held talks in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, focusing on “next steps” in India-China relations. Topics like resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, sharing of data on cross-border rivers, direct flights and media exchange were also discussed.
Both sides also agreed that a meeting of the Special Representatives and the Secretary-Deputy Minister system will also be held soon. Singh, in his meeting with Dong, stressed the need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict. The Defense Ministry said, “The Defense Minister highlighted the fact that cordial relations between the world’s two largest countries, India and China, will have a positive impact on global peace and prosperity.” “Noting that the two countries are and will remain neighbours, he said we need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict,” it said. The statement said Singh called for learning from the unfortunate border clashes in 2020, taking steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents and maintaining peace on the India-China border.
The ministry said, “He emphasized on reducing tension and establishing more trust and confidence between the two sides.” “Both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for restoration of mutual trust and understanding.” After the fierce clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020, relations between the two Asian powers had turned sour. This was the most serious military clash between the two sides in decades. Singh and Dong met on the sidelines of a summit of the 10-nation ASEAN grouping and some of its dialogue partners.
Indian and Chinese armies had completed the process of withdrawal of troops from Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh at the end of last month. Earlier, after several talks, an agreement was reached on October 21 to resolve the border dispute between the two sides.
Both sides also started patrolling in both the areas after a gap of about four and a half years.
Two days after the signing of the agreement on patrolling and withdrawal of troops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. In the nearly 50-minute meeting, Modi had stressed the importance of properly resolving differences and disputes and not allowing peace and harmony to be disturbed in the border areas.
India says that its relations with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. The standoff on the eastern Ladakh border started on May 5, 2020, after violent clashes in the Pangong Lake area. Singh’s three-day visit to Vientiane began on Wednesday to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
Singh also held separate bilateral talks with Lao Defense Minister General Chansmon Chanyallath and Malaysian Defense Minister Dato Seri Mohd Khalid bin Nordin. ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners – India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. Laos is hosting this meeting as the current Chair of ADMM-Plus.