Rajnath Singh to attend SCO Defence Ministers’ meet in China; first Indian ministerial visit in 7 years

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meet in Qingdao from June 25–27, wherein he will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meet in Qingdao from June 25–27, wherein he will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts. He is the first defence minister to visit China in the last seven years. 

It is expected that he will hold bilateral meetings with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun, Russian and Central Asian counterparts. This will be his first meeting with the Chinese counterpart after the two countries agreed to disengage and resume patrolling in Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh in October 2024.

Last time he met him in Vientiane on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). It must be noted that the Pakistan defence minister, Khwaja Asif will also participate in the meeting. 

Sources said that there will be no bilateral with Pakistan’s defence minister. 

SCO Defence Ministers’ meet

A political block, the SCO, was established in 2001, comprising China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Under the chairmanship of India in 2023, Iran joined the grouping. India distances itself from SCO statement condemning Israel.

Last week the SCO, which is under the chairmanship of China, issued a statement and stated “express serious concern” over the escalating Iran-Israel tensions and “strongly condemn the military strikes carried out by Israel” on the territory of Iran. The SCO statement further noted that Israel’s “aggressive actions against civilian targets, including energy and transport infrastructure, which have resulted in civilian casualties, are a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter”. 

“(Israeli attacks) constitute an infringement on Iran’s sovereignty, cause damage to regional and international security, and pose serious risks to global peace and stability,” the statement added. 

“The SCO member states firmly advocate for the resolution of the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program exclusively through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means,” the statement noted. 

Expressing deep concern at the recent developments between Iran and Israel, India called for “dialogue and diplomacy” to work towards de-escalation of the situation, adding that “it did not participate in discussions that led to SCO's statement.” 

Kailash Manasarovar Yatra 

On June 13, India flagged-off the first batch of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from Delhi, and on June 20 they crossed over to China from Nathu La in Sikkim. The yatra was in suspension mode since last five years in the wake of border standoff between two countries.