Chinese, Indian defense chiefs meet as border tensions subside

NEW DELHI

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in the Vientiane capital, Laos, on Wednesday in their first meeting since a border pact was announced last month, according to Indian Defense Ministry,

Singh “highlighted the fact that amicable relations between India and China, the two largest nations in the world, would have positive implications for global peace and prosperity,” the ministry said, adding that Singh said, “We need to focus on cooperation rather that conflict,” considering that both countries will continue to remain neighbors.

The meeting followed a meet Tuesday between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers to review “progress” on the border pact.

Singh “called for reflecting on the lessons learnt from the unfortunate border clashes of 2020, take measures to prevent recurrence of such events and safeguard peace and tranquility along the India-China border,” according to the Defense Ministry.

He “emphasised and looked forward to greater trust and confidence building between the two sides through de-escalation.”

“Both sides agreed to work together towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding,” it said.

New Delhi and Beijing agreed last month to a pact on military patrols along their disputed border in the Himalayas.

Since May 2020, the two Asian nations had been engaged in a tussle along the 3,500-kilometer (2,174-mile) Line of Actual Control -- their de facto border in the Ladakh area of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.

At least 24 soldiers -- 20 from India and four from China, were killed in clashes -- in July of that year. That led to a tense and long-running standoff that has seen both sides deploy thousands of military personnel and heavy weapons in the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met formally for the first time in five years on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last month.

Singh who is on a three-day visit to Vientiane will attend the 11th ADMM-Plus on Thursday.