Rajnath Singh Likely to Visit China for SCO Defence Meet — First Since Galwan Clash

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Qingdao, China, later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting. The visit, if confirmed, will mark Singh’s first official trip to China since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020 and will signal a renewed effort at high-level bilateral engagement between the two Asian powers.

China, which currently holds the presidency of the SCO, has extended a formal invitation to Singh for the upcoming defence ministers’ summit. The visit, if it proceeds as planned, would also be the first Indian ministerial-level presence in China since the October 2024 agreement between New Delhi and Beijing on disengagement and troop withdrawal along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The October agreement, reached after multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks, allowed both nations to gradually resume patrolling and reduce tensions that had persisted since the Galwan incident, where 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops lost their lives in violent clashes.

Singh’s likely visit to Qingdao comes against the backdrop of cautious optimism in bilateral relations, with both sides expressing a desire to de-escalate and rebuild confidence. During the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Laos, Singh had met China’s Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun in what was their first face-to-face interaction since the disengagement deal.

The two sides are also exploring other confidence-building measures as part of the broader diplomatic effort. These include resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for Indian pilgrims, restoring air connectivity between the two countries, restarting the exchange of hydrological data related to shared rivers, and easing visa processes to promote people-to-people exchanges.

India has maintained that any forward movement in the relationship depends on peace and stability at the border. However, it has also reiterated support for multilateral cooperation under platforms like the SCO. India’s backing of China’s SCO presidency was highlighted during recent talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in New Delhi.

If Singh’s visit goes ahead, it could serve as a symbolic step toward diplomatic thaw, even as key issues along the border remain unresolved. Both sides appear to be testing the waters for a possible gradual reset, with the SCO platform providing a neutral multilateral forum for re-engagement.

The upcoming meeting in Qingdao is being closely watched in strategic circles, as it could pave the way for more structured military-to-military dialogue and reinforce the fragile progress made since the October 2024 agreement.

IT.