Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to meet Chinese counterpart in Laos today

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on Wednesday in Vientiane, Laos.

The two will meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus). This will be their first meeting after the disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The last meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart was in April 2023 in India. Then Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu travelled to Delhi for the SCO Defence Ministers meeting.

The Laos meeting comes a month after India and China reached the disengagement agreement along the LAC.

Since then the situation in key flashpoints -- Demchok and Depsang Plains -- has shown improvement. The armies of both countries have dismantled temporary structures in these areas and the patrolling has also resumed. The steps are being taken to restore the status quo as of April 2020.

The relations between the two countries became strained following the clashes in the Galwan Valley in 2020. However, the LAC agreement now seeks to address the tension and maintain the pre-2020 status.

The meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart is expected to build on this progress.

This interaction signals a potential step towards further easing the strained relations between the two neighbours.

On November 18, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Summit in Rio. Both noted the progress in the recent disengagement.

“We noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas. We also exchanged views on further steps in our bilateral ties and discussed the prevailing global situation,” Dr Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

These developments come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in October. Both agreed to work towards a “peaceful and stable” relationship by displaying maturity and mutual respect. They also highlighted the need to not allow differences on boundary-related matters to disturb peace and tranquillity along the LAC.

At the 11th ADMM-Plus, the Defence Minister will address regional and international security issues. Defence Ministers of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States will also meet in Laos

On the sidelines of the meeting, he will also meet with other counterparts, including those from the US, Australia, and Japan.

At the 11th ADMM-Plus, the Defence Minister will address regional and international security issues.

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