Amid bid to rebuild China ties, Rajnath Singh to attend SCO meet
File photo: Defence minister Rajnath Singh (PTI)
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit China later this month for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meet, which comes amid efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to rebuild and stabilize bilateral ties, though de-escalation between the rival armies is yet to take place along the Line of Actual Control.
Singh is likely to have a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO meet on June 24-25, in what will be his first visit as defence minister to China. "The final details are still being worked out," an official said on Saturday.
Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif is also slated to attend the SCO meet, which is taking place soon after intense cross-border military hostilities between India and Pakistan from May 7 to 10.
Both India and Pakistan in 2017 became full members of the SCO, which also includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus.
Along the 3,488-km LAC with China, there are as yet no signs of de-escalation and de-induction of troops after disengagement at the two remaining face-off sites at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh last Oct, which has led to restoration of patrolling by the rival soldiers and grazing by herders as well as reduced the risk of any inadvertent escalation.
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China has continued to strengthen its military positions & infrastructure build-up all along LAC, with PLA troops continuing to be forward deployed with heavy weapon systems in large numbers, as earlier reported by TOI.
Moreover, the deep military collusiveness between Pakistan and China was quite evident during Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan used several Chinese weapons and platforms, ranging from J-10 fighters firing the PL-15 beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to HQ-9 air defence missile batteries, during the hostilities with India. Pakistan is also set to acquire at least 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth jets and the HQ-19 long-range air defence missile systems from China.
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