Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to seek support from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries for a “joint and consistent effort” to eliminate terrorism and extremism in the region to isolate Pakistan.

Rajnath, who is leading a high level delegation for the three-day SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Qingdao, China, starting Wednesday, will be meeting his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun for the first time after the Operation Sindoor against Pakistan to avenge the massacre of tourists at Pahalgam.

India had successfully targeted nine terror camps, apart from security installations in Pakistan.

In Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had deployed many China-made weapon systems including fighter jets, air defence systems and missiles. Beijing had also shared intelligence inputs to Pakistan generated from its satellite, apart from siding with its all weather ally in its diplomatic positioning.

During the meeting, the Defence Ministers are expected to discuss a number of issues, including regional and international peace & security, counter-terrorism efforts and cooperation among the Ministries of Defence of SCO member states, said the MoD in a statement.

Apart from China and India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the latest entrant Iran are members of the SCO.

Singh is “expected to highlight India’s continued commitment to the principles and mandate of the SCO, outline India’s vision towards achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region, and stress on the need for greater trade, economic cooperation & connectivity within SCO,” the MoD statement read.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of some participating countries, including China and Russia, on the sidelines of the meeting. Sources said that Singh will, however, not meet one-on-one with his Pakistani counterpart since PM Narendra Modi has clearly laid out that terror and talks cannot happen at the same time.

Ahead of Singh’s meeting with Jun, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed recent developments in India-China bilateral relations and underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations, including by fostering greater people to people ties, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday stated.

Partners not rivals

Similarly, Wang said both the countries should extend the consensus reached last year. He also called for supporting each other’s development, peaceful border relations and interacting as partners not rivals, as per reports. Since the Galwan face off in May 2020, the relations between the two countries nose-dived

NSA Doval emphasised the need to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to maintain overall peace and stability in the region.

Wang Yi is to travel to India for the 24th round of the Special Representative (SR) Talks, the dates for which are yet to be decided.

Published on June 24, 2025