Rajnath's Qingdao Diplomacy Sends Ripples Across Asia

Source:  X/rajnathsingh

 

Rajnath Singh meets Chinese defence minister in Qingdao, calls for calm ties as Kailash yatra resumes June 30

 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday met his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun. They organized a meeting in the Chinese port city of Qingdao. Both parties urged that the ‘positive momentum’ in India-China relations be continued while warning against bringing ‘new complexities’ to bilateral ties.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Defence Ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Singh called the engagement ‘constructive and forward-looking’ and emphasized the importance of sustenance to efforts to stabilize the relationship.

“It is incumbent on both sides to maintain this positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in the bilateral relationship,” Singh tweeted.

 

 

Symbolic Gestures and Guarded Optimism

 

Admiral Dong received Singh upon his arrival in Qingdao on Thursday. During the bilateral summit, Singh presented his counterpart with a Madhubani painting, an old folk art form of Bihar’s Mithila area, a move towards cultural diplomacy.

The negotiations took place against the backdrop of a gradual warming of relations between the two neighbors. This came about after the success of the disengagement of troops in early 2024 from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, one of the main flashpoints since the 2020 border standoff.

 

Yatra Resumes After Five-Year Pause

 

One of the significant dividends of the enhanced relationship is the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Singh hailed the move to revive the pilgrimage to the Tibet Autonomous Region after five years. The yatra was suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of External Affairs has previously stated that the initial group of Indian pilgrims will cross into China through the Lipulekh Pass on July 10, with the yatra to commence on June 30. The final batch is to return by August 22.

 

Recent High-Level Engagements

 

Singh’s visit comes after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s trip to Beijing on June 23, during which he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Doval emphasized the need for an ‘overall development’ of bilateral relations, with increased people-to-people contacts.

The recent series of interactions suggests a strategic rethinking by both sides to navigate differences and expand cooperation, particularly in multilateral forums such as the SCO.