Violation of border pacts eroding ties: Rajnath Singh tells China

Defence minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, on Thursday, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi, a first since troops of the two nations clashed in Ladakh's Galwan valley in 2020.

Taking to micro-blogging platform Twitter, Rajnath Singh wrote,''Development of India-China ties is premised on prevalence of peace & tranquillity at the borders.''

''All issues at LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements & commitments,'' he added.

The two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations.

Rajnath Singh categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments.

He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation.

Rajnath Singh also held a separate bilateral meetings with the Minister of Defence of Kazakhstan Colonel General Ruslan Zhaxylykov and Minister of Defence of Tajikistan Colonel General Sherali Mirzo in New Delhi.

Both the Ministers reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan. Further, the two Ministers discussed the development of the International North-South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems in Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia.

The Chinese Defence Minister is in Delhi to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting on April 28. India and China have been locked in a prolonged eastern Ladakh standoff, sending bilateral ties plummeting to their worst in decades.

On Sunday, India and China held a fresh round of high-level talks to resolve issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the two sides have been locked in a border row for almost three years.

The 18th round of military talks between India and China was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.