Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting Qingdao, China, towards the end of this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting, which is being hosted by China this year. If confirmed, this would be his first visit to China following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that had severely tested bilateral relations.
This possible visit can also be the first official ministerial-level interaction between India and China after their October 2024 agreement to resume patrolling and pull troops off friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The last meeting for Singh with Chinese counterpart was in Laos
Rajnath Singh had last met Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun during the ADMM-Plus summit in Laos. The meeting was the first between the two countries’ defence ministers after the disengagement agreement and was a tentative step towards restoration of communication between the militaries.
India and China have continued diplomatic and military talks to ease tensions and stabilize border ties since the Galwan clash. Singh’s proposed attendance in Qingdao is seen as a positive move to restore higher-level bilateral contact.
Dialogue going beyond military to cultural & civilian exchanges
The potential visit is part of larger initiatives to boost relations between New Delhi and Beijing. Some of the ideas being discussed include the revival of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, re-establishing air travel connectivity, resuming the exchange of hydrological statistics, and easing visa processing and people-to-people exchange.
India has also confirmed its backing for the current SCO presidency by China. This attitude was reaffirmed a short while ago in New Delhi when Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri received Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. Their conversation echoed both countries’ readiness to augment cooperation under the SCO umbrella despite ongoing border sensitivities.
India balances security with diplomacy
While Singh’s attendance at the SCO meeting would be symbolic, it also reflects India’s cautious recalibration of its relations with China—walking a diplomatic outreach tightrope with demands for safe borders. The SCO forum, which includes principal regional actors like Russia, China, India, and Central Asian nations, provides a strategic space for interaction without bilateral compromises.
India’s consistent emphasis on sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unchanged. Yet Singh’s possible visit underlines New Delhi’s intent to keep diplomatic channels open while reinforcing regional security cooperation.