Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit Qingdao, China, from June 25 to 27, 2025, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting, marking his first official trip to China since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

This visit is highly significant, as it represents the first high-level Indian ministerial presence in China since the deadly border confrontation that led to a freeze in bilateral political and military engagement for nearly five years.

Singh’s trip comes at a time when India and China are cautiously working to normalise relations, following a disengagement agreement in October 2024 that allowed for limited patrolling and a gradual pullback of forces from sensitive friction points along the LAC.

The visit is part of a broader process of rapprochement initiated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in Kazan in October 2024, which led to several confidence-building measures, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, restoration of air links, exchange of hydrological data, and enhanced people-to-people exchanges.

During the SCO meeting in Qingdao—a city that hosts a major Chinese naval base—Rajnath Singh is expected to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the conference.

This will be Singh’s first direct exchange with Admiral Dong since the four-day India-Pakistan conflict, during which Chinese military hardware support to Pakistan was notable. However, no meeting is scheduled with the Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, who will also attend the SCO meeting.

The SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting will focus on enhancing regional defence and security cooperation, including discussions on the organisation’s Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) mechanism. The timing of the visit is also notable as it coincides with the arrival of the first batch of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar since the 2020 standoff, symbolising a step towards normalisation.

India’s participation in the SCO meeting is being closely watched, especially in the context of recent regional tensions, such as the conflict between Israel and Iran. India recently distanced itself from an SCO statement condemning Israel’s actions, issuing its own separate statement and underscoring its independent foreign policy stance.

Rajnath Singh’s visit underscores a cautious yet deliberate effort by India and China to rebuild trust, resume dialogue, and stabilise their complex bilateral relationship, while also engaging with other regional powers on critical security and counter-terrorism issues.

Agencies