Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh had held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on Friday night at the sidelines of the SCO summit in Moscow, Russia.
The meeting between the two leaders, which is first of its kind after the stand-off at the Galwan valley, lasted for 2 hours 20 minutes.
On Thursday, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe has sought a meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
READ: Chinese Defence Minister ‘keen’ to meet Rajnath Singh in Moscow, India yet to respond
“Peaceful stable and secure region of SCO member states, which is home to over 40 per cent of the global population, demands a climate of trust and cooperation, non-aggression, respect for international rules and norms, sensitivity to each other’s interest and peaceful resolution of differences,” Rajnath Singh said at the SCO.
Separate from Rajnath Singh, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said there will be no compromise on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and asserted it cannot be “business as usual” in bilateral ties unless there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
At the same time, he said India is open to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also participated in a meeting of the G-20 Foreign Ministers on Thursday and will be meeting his BRICS counterparts via videoconferencing on Friday.
“We have a long history, which is very good in many parts, very indifferent in some parts and very difficult in some ways. The problem is the more difficult parts are more recent… This is not the easiest of times in the relationship,” the External Affairs Minister was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
“I am not underplaying the seriousness of the current situation or the actual challenges of the boundary question. It is vital for both countries to reach and accomplish, not just for them. I think that one has a lot riding. I am also conscious that right now we have a situation in the border areas of the western sector. We have agreements and understandings with China the agreements and understandings must be scrupulously observed by both parties, neither party should attempt to change the status quo unilaterally. And the reality is, what happens on the border, will impact the relationship, you cannot separate it,” he added.
India said the border tension in Ladakh over the past four months is a direct result of Chinese actions which is aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region.
On Monday, the Indian Army said in a statement that the Chinese Army has carried out provocative military movements on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake on Saturday night to change the status quo.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo,” said the statement.