New Delhi, Dec 10: In a veiled reference to China’s aggressive military behaviour, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate situation will go a long way in bringing sustained regional peace.
In his address at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Singh also said terrorism remains a major scourge for the region and the world.
The structures that support and sustain terrorism continue to exist, including in India’s neighbourhood, he said in an apparent reference to terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
He called for stronger commitment and need to strengthen international mechanism to fight terrorism, “jointly and vigorously”.
Talking about key geo-strategic issues, the defence minister highlighted India’s vision for an open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific region based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations and peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was among those who attended the virtual meeting of the ADMM-Plus, 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.
“As we enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate the situation, will go a long way in bringing sustained peace to the region,” Singh said.
Singh’s comments came amid the seven-month-long military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh, and Beijing’s increasingly aggressive military behaviour in the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region. A number of ASEAN member nations have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
The defence minister also said the ability of the grouping to collectively respond to challenges based on the fundamentals of freedom, inclusivity and openness in the region will define its future.
“Threats to the rules based order, maritime security, cyber related crimes and terrorism, just to name a few, remain the challenges that we need to address as a forum,” he said. (PTI)
