Rhea Mogul and Vedika Sud, CNN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India\u2019s defense minister told his Chinese counterpart on Thursday that violations of their shared border erode the \u201centire basis\u201d of relations between the two Asian neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh made the comments during a meeting with newly appointed Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in New Delhi ahead of a regional security summit on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two defense chiefs had \u201cfrank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations,\u201d according to a statement from the Indian Defense Ministry said following their talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In apparent reference to deadly border clashes that claimed the lives of multiple soldiers on both sides three years ago, Singh \u201ccategorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the first such encounter on Indian soil between the two defense chiefs since deadly clashes along their disputed border in Aksai Chin-Ladakh in 2020. Tensions between the two countries have been simmering ever since, and\u00a0escalated in December<\/a>\u00a0when a brawl between troops from both sides in the Tawang Sector of India\u2019s northeastern territory of Arunachal Pradesh resulted in minor injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lengthy disputed border has long been a source of friction between New Delhi and Beijing, with the agitation spilling into war before. In 1962 a month-long conflict ended in a Chinese victory and India losing thousands of square miles of territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a readout of the meeting released by China\u2019s Defense Ministry, Li said that \u201cas of now,\u201d the situation on the border is stable. \u201cBoth sides should take a long-term view, place the border issue at an appropriate position in our bilateral relations, and promote the normalization of the border situation as soon as possible,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Li is visiting New Delhi alongside counterparts from Russia and several Central Asian countries to attend the security summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization\u2019s (SCO) defense ministers in New Delhi on Friday. His visit comes four days after India and China concluded the 18th round of talks to attempt to resolve the border issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahead of his visit, China\u2019s Ministry of Defense said Li will \u201ccommunicate and exchange views on issues of the international and regional situations as well as defense and security cooperation,\u201d at the SCO gathering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n