Rajnath Singh at SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao; no joint statement adopted
On 26 June 2025 in Qingdao, China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting, held talks with China's Admiral Dong Jun and Russia's Andrey Belousov, and the meeting ended without a joint statement.
Summary
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, China on 26 June 2025, urging members to unite against terrorism and criticise nations that use cross-border terrorism as policy. Singh said The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed the Pahalgam attack. He met Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun, noting 75 years of diplomatic ties and the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after five years. He also met Russia's Andrey Belousov. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the joint statement was not adopted because India's concerns on terrorism were not acceptable to one particular country.
Key facts
- Meeting
- SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting, Qingdao, China
- India's message
- Unite against terrorism; no double standards
- Bilateral: China
- Admiral Dong Jun; 75 years of ties; Kailash Manasarovar Yatra resumed after 5 years
- Bilateral: Russia
- Andrey Belousov
- Joint statement (MEA)
- Not adopted; India's terrorism concerns not acceptable to 'one particular country'
Practice MCQs 4 questions
In which Chinese city was the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting attended by Rajnath Singh held in June 2025?
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Correct answer: B — Qingdao
PIB: Rajnath Singh addressed the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting at Qingdao, China on 26 June 2025.
Who was the Chinese counterpart with whom Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Qingdao on 26 June 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Admiral Dong Jun
PIB: Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun in Qingdao on 26 June 2025.
In his meeting with Admiral Dong Jun, Rajnath Singh appreciated the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of how many years?
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Correct answer: A — Five
PIB: Raksha Mantri appreciated the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of five years.
Consider the following statements about the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao (June 2025): 1. Rajnath Singh said The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. 2. According to the MEA, the joint statement was not adopted because India's concerns on terrorism were not acceptable to one particular country. 3. The MEA spokesperson publicly named the country that objected. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1 and 2 only
Statement 1 is from Singh's address (PIB). Statement 2 is the MEA spokesperson's line (Reuters, Indian Express). Statement 3 is wrong: Randhir Jaiswal did not name the country.