Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos

NEW DELHI — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held delegation-level talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Vientiane, weeks after Indian and Chinese militaries completed disengagement of troops from two last face-off points in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting took place in the capital city of Laos on the sidelines of a conclave of 10-nation ASEAN grouping and some of its dialogue partners.

“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh holding bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Mr Dong Jun in Vientiane, Lao PDR,” Singh’s office said on ‘X’.

Indian and Chinese militaries completed the disengagement exercise in Demchok and Depsang late last month after the two sides reached an agreement following a series of negotiations to resolve the festering border row.

Also read: India, China discuss next steps in ties following disengagement process in eastern Ladakh

The two sides also resumed patrolling activities in the two areas after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years.

Singh began his three-day visit to Vientiane on Wednesday, primarily to attend a meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).

ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners — India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

Laos is hosting the meeting in its capacity as the current chair of ADMM-Plus.