Rajnath Singh to push anti-terror agenda at SCO meet in China

New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a renewed diplomatic push against Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism, is set to call on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to intensify efforts to curb terrorism during a two-day conclave in China's Qingdao, beginning Wednesday.

Singh will be visiting the port city in China's eastern Shandong province to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meet from June 25-26, which is expected to deliberate extensively on the evolving regional security architecture.

His visit comes just over a month after Operation Sindoor, under which India conducted targeted airstrikes on nine high-value terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.

This marks the first trip to China by an Indian Union Minister since bilateral relations were severely strained by the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that began in May 2020.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also currently in China for a meeting of SCO national security chiefs.

According to an official readout, Singh will reaffirm India's steadfast commitment to the SCO's core principles and objectives while laying out New Delhi's vision for enhanced regional cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism.

The Defence Minister is expected to highlight the importance of joint, consistent, and coordinated action to eliminate threats to peace and stability in the region.

He will also underscore the need for deeper trade, economic collaboration, and improved connectivity within the SCO framework.

In addition to addressing the plenary, Singh will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several participating nations, including China and Russia.

"India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateralism, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. SCO pursues its policy based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, mutual respect, understanding and equality of all member states," the Ministry of Defence said.

China is hosting the conclave as the current chair of the SCO.

Relations between India and China have remained tense since the violent Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, though recent diplomatic engagements have aimed at thawing ties.

The military standoff officially ended following the completion of disengagement at Demchok and Depsang in October last year.

NSA Doval's Beijing visit in December and his discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi under the Special Representatives (SR) framework marked a key step in reviving dialogue.

The decision to reactivate the SR mechanism was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23.

--IANS

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