Defense Minister Rajnath Singh On Wednesday, he held talks with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun in Vientiane, Laos and stressed the need for the two countries to work to de-escalate the conflict in the sensitive theater of Ladakh, on the back of which the recent standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. There is a disclaimer. Depsang and Demchuk added that this would help build more trust and confidence between the two sides.

In a meeting held on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-plus, Singh called for reflection on the lessons learned from the unfortunate border clashes of 2020, measures to prevent its recurrence and safeguard peace and stability. Emphasized. India China border.

Had a very productive meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun in Vientiane. We agreed to work together on a road map to rebuild mutual trust and understanding,” Singh wrote on X after the meeting.

Singh told the Chinese minister that border issues cannot be separated from the overall bilateral relationship, HT has learnt.

Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Laos, will attend ADMM-Plus on Thursday and address the forum on regional and international security issues. Contains the block. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, and its eight dialogue partners including India, China, Japan, Russia and the United States (or “plus” countries.)

It was the first meeting between the two defense ministers after the recent standoff in eastern Ladakh, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia.

Read more: ‘Need for cooperation rather than conflict’: Rajnath Singh tells Chinese counterpart in Laos

With the withdrawal complete along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), and patrolling by both armies resumed, on 21 October India and China agreed to resolve their standoff over the last two flashpoints at Depsang and Demchuk. About 10 days after announcing progress in negotiations for In Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were facing each other since May. 2020

As part of the withdrawal process, the two armies withdrew their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two areas and dismantled temporary structures set up there after the military standoff began. After the procedure was settled between the ground commanders of the two sides, the patrol began.

Withdrawal from friction zones is the first step towards cooling border tensions. De-escalation of the lingering conflict and eventual engagement of the rival armies should be undertaken to restore peace and tranquility in the sector. Both armies still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weapons deployed in the Ladakh theater.

In Vientiane, Singh said that cordial relations between India and China, the world’s largest countries, will have a positive impact on global peace and prosperity. “We need to focus on cooperation rather than conflict,” he said during the meeting, as the two countries are and will remain neighbours.

Singh also pointed out that as the two major engines of growth, India and China have an important role to play in stabilizing the global economy, adding that due to the unfortunate events along the LAC, Both sides have wasted four precious years. He said that both sides should address the root cause of the conflict to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Last month, India and China welcomed an agreement to demobilize and resolve issues along their disputed border, with Modi and Xi reactivating several mechanisms to resolve the border issue and normalize bilateral ties. decided to years on the occasion of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.

The disengagement from Depsang and Demchuk did not result in the creation of buffer zones, as had happened after previous periods of troop withdrawal.

India and China had earlier cut off the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), areas where buffers were created to temporarily limit the patrolling activities of the two armies in the region. Zones were created. The purpose of the separation zones was to eliminate the possibility of violent confrontations. The lifting of the ban on patrols in these areas by both sides will depend on the outcome of further talks.