Rajnath for roadmap on de-escalation

EIGHT MONTHS AFTER the disengagement of troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has told his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun that there is need for a "structured roadmap of permanent engagement and de-escalation".

- AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA & SHUBHAJIT ROY

He called for a "permanent solution of border demarcation".

In his talks Thursday with Dong on the sidelines of the meeting of Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao, Singh underlined the need for "bridging the trust deficit created after the 2020 border standoff, by taking action on ground".

The Ministry of Defence, in a statement Friday, said Singh and Dong agreed to continue consultations at various levels to achieve progress on issues related to "disengagement, de-escalation, border management and eventual de-limitation through existing mechanisms".