India, China agree to resume multi-level dialogue on border disengagement

New Delhi: On the sideline of the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ conference in Qingdao, in China, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun held bilateral talks on Thursday, to focus on de-escalate border tensions and promote regional stability. The discussion, amidst the tense relations since the 2020 border standoff, indicated both countries’ prudent desire to manage their complicated relationship through persistent interaction.

At the centre of negotiations was ensuring peace along the contentious Line of Actual Control (LAC). Singh emphasised the need to adhere to a “structured roadmap” that includes permanent engagement, de-escalation, and dialogue in resolving outstanding border demarcation issues. He called for a revival of current mechanisms and underlined that closing the “trust deficit” would involve not words, but tangible on-ground activities. The two ministers consented to resume multi-level talks within existing frameworks to push disengagement, de-escalation, and eventual border delimitation. Singh also emphasised that creating good neighbourly conditions was necessary for regional stability and international peace.

The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and China is also on the round—a milestone that Singh took the opportunity to reflect on and renew. He expressed his approval of the reinstatement of the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage following a hiatus of five years, a step that was regarded as a confidence-building measure.

The talks, however, did not focus on border management only. Singh apprised his Chinese counterpart of India’s concerns about regional security, especially cross-border terrorism.

He outlined Operation Sindoor, India’s recent counter-terror campaign against networks based out of Pakistan and highlighted the April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir that took civilian lives. His comments indicated India’s resolve to keep the subject of terrorism at the top of the regional agenda.

Interestingly, India did not sign the SCO joint statement, protesting what it perceived as a lack of proper recognition of threats from terrorism to the region. This act demonstrated India’s determination to pursue its concerns even in multilateral arenas.

Besides, the Qingdao summit provided Singh with an opportunity to enhance India’s defence diplomacy with the other SCO members. Singh had a noteworthy bilateral meeting with Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov. The two leaders had thorough deliberations on a broad range of matters, ranging from the shifting geopolitical environment to the threat posed by cross-border terrorism and means of further consolidating the traditional Indo-Russian defence cooperation. Belousov reiterated the long-standing character of India-Russia relations, remarking that the relationship has proved resilient to the times, and expressed Russia’s solidarity with India in the wake of the “horrendous and cowardly” terrorist attack of April 22 in Pahalgam.

The encounter, one of the most important recent interactions between the two countries, followed in the backdrop of India’s Operation Sindoor and the need to enhance defence production in key sectors. As important takeaways, these were the deliberations on speeding up the supply of S-400 air defence systems, the upgrade of Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, improving air-to-air missile capability, modernising air platforms, and expediting the procurement of crucial military hardware. The negotiations highlighted the mutual commitment to enhancing defence cooperation and responding to new challenges to security.

On the other hand, he met his counterparts from Belarus, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. Meetings with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Victor Khrenin, Tajik Defence Minister Lieutenant General Sobrizoda Emomali Abdurakhim, and Kazakhstan’s Lieutenant General Dauren Kosanov were centred on the upgrade of technical cooperation and building capacities, as well as military education. Singh exhorted increased collaboration in defence production as well as cutting-edge technologies, underlining India’s progress towards self-reliance in this realm.

The SCO Defence Ministers’ conference collectively reaffirmed the grouping’s utility as a forum for strategic interaction and pragmatic coordination in Eurasia. As much as immediate breakthroughs in the India-China dialogue eluded, the revival of top-level talks indicated a tentative warming of relations. The exchanges in Qingdao reflected the fine balance India aims to strike—seeking dialogue and confidence-building with China, while at the same time setting forth its security interests and counter-terrorism commitments within the larger SCO context. The way forward, as the meeting reinforced, will depend on sustained diplomacy, mutual trust, and tangible steps towards stability.