Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Qingdao, China on Thursday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting, being held from June 25–26. He was received warmly by his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun upon arrival.
The meeting brings together defence ministers from SCO member states—including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian nations—to deliberate on pressing issues related to regional peace, security, counter-terrorism, and defence cooperation.
Before the session, Rajnath Singh joined Admiral Dong Jun and other SCO defence leaders for a group photograph, signalling multilateral unity despite existing geopolitical frictions. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also arrived shortly after Singh.
According to a press release by India’s Ministry of Defence, Rajnath Singh is expected to:
- Reaffirm India’s commitment to the SCO’s founding principles and cooperative agenda
- Call for joint, consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism and extremism
- Emphasise the need for enhanced trade, connectivity, and economic collaboration within the region
Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with defence ministers of key member countries, including China and Russia, on the sidelines of the summit.
The SCO, founded in 2001, is a major intergovernmental organisation focused on multilateral cooperation in security, politics, economics, and people-to-people ties. India became a full member in 2017 and chaired the organisation in 2023. The 2025 Chairmanship has now passed to China, under the theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.”
The SCO adheres to principles such as:
- Sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Non-interference in internal affairs
- Mutual respect and equality among member states
Current SCO members include India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. The Qingdao meeting is seen as a key platform for advancing regional security dialogue amid growing global tensions.
