New Delhi: In a veiled reference to China’s aggressive military behaviour, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoiding actions that may further complicate situation will go a long way in bringing sustained peace to the region. Rajnath Singh was speaking at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). It is a platform comprising 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners including India and China. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was among those who attended the virtual meeting, officials said.
In his address, Singh talked about ‘the current regional environment with visible strains’, and appreciated the central role of ASEAN-led forums, including ADMM-Plus in promoting dialogue and engagement towards a pluralistic, cooperative security order in Asia.
“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 stated.
Singh’s comments came amid the seven-month-long military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh and Beijing’s increasingly expansionist behaviour in South China Sea and Indo-Pacific.
The defence minister also said that 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,” Singh pointed out.
The defence minister also talked about the outlook on the Indo-Pacific, saying it underscores the impetus to cultivate strategic trust and continuously promote ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture.
“The concepts of ‘vasudhaive kutumbakam’ – ‘the whole world is one family’ and ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah’ – ‘all be at peace’ are the core of the Indian civilisation. Therefore, inclusivity, equality and openness are the principles underlining this concept,” Singh informed.