On June 25–26, 2025, the 22nd Defence Ministers’ Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Qingdao, China. The meeting was convened under China’s 2025 Chairmanship with the theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.”
- The event brought together defence ministers from all 10 SCO member states. Key attendees included SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Ularbek Sharsheev, and defence heads from member states.
- Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD), led the Indian delegation, marking the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to China since the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
Note: The next SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting will be held in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2026.
Key Highlights of the Meeting:
1. India-China Diplomatic Engagement
i.Union Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun, their second meeting since the October 2024 disengagement agreement on Eastern Ladakh.
- He also met counterparts from Russia (Andrey Belousov), Kazakhstan (Dauren Kosanov), and Belarus (Viktor Khrenin).
ii.Discussions focused on finding a “permanent solution” to the 3,800 kilometer (km) undemarcated India-China border, with proposals for a structured roadmap, renewed disengagement mechanisms, and trust-building initiatives.
iii.As a gesture of goodwill, he presented Admiral Dong Jun with a traditional Madhubani painting from Mithila region, Bihar, a folk art form known for its vivid colours and tribal motifs.
- He also gifted cultural tokens to the Defence Ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
2.India’s Stand Against Terrorism
i.Union Minister Rajnath Singh strongly condemned the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
- 26 civilians, including a Nepali national, were killed in the attack, which targeted individuals based on religious identity.
ii.He announced Operation Sindoor, launched by India to dismantle terror networks responsible for the Pahalgam attack and similar acts.
3. Refusal to Sign SCO Joint Communique
India declined to sign the final joint statement, citing inadequate condemnation of cross-border terrorism. Key objections:
- The draft omitted mention of the Pahalgam attack.
- It failed to explicitly condemn cross-border terrorism, reportedly due to objections from Pakistan.
- While the statement referenced a Balochistan militant incident, India insisted on equal condemnation of all terror acts.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
i.The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental organisation established in 2001.
ii.It was founded by six countries: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India joined the SCO in 2017, along with Pakistan.
iii.As of 2025, the SCO has 10 member countries: India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Belarus.
- Observer status: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
Secretary General (SG) – Nurlan Yermekbayev
Headquarters – Beijing, China
