India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, to discuss the ongoing border row between the two countries. Singh stressed that peace at the border is important for the development of India-China relations, and all issues must be resolved according to existing bilateral agreements. The talks took place ahead of a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation being hosted by India. Singh expressed concerns about the violation of existing agreements and said disengagement at the border should lead to de-escalation. This was Li’s first visit to India since the border standoff began three years ago. The meeting followed 18 rounds of military talks between the Indian and Chinese armies to resolve the border issue in eastern Ladakh. In their last meeting, both sides agreed to work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues as soon as possible.
