Ahmedabad:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said talks between India and China are going smoothly and in a good environment, and India will never bow down.

Singh, who is in Ahmedabad to campaign for BJP candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections, said India has become a powerful country from a military standpoint and wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours.

“India is no longer a weak India. India has also become a powerful country from a military point of view. We want to maintain good relations with our neighbouring countries,” the minister said when asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusation against the Narendra Modi government over Chinese aggression.

Talks between India and China are going on smoothly and in a good environment over whatever issues there are, he said.

“I understand that we should wait for the outcome of the talks. But I want to assure the countrymen that India has not bowed down anywhere, nor will it ever bow down,” he said.

Singh also expressed confidence that India’s defence exports, which crossed the Rs 21,000 crore mark in the financial 2023-24, will increase going forward.

“In 2014, we exported Rs 600 crore defence items, but now the figure has crossed Rs 21,000 crore, and I can say that it is going to increase,” he said.

The minister said the Modi government is committed to ensuring that defence items, whether missiles and other weapons, bombs or tanks, should be made in India and by Indians.

“Today, we have achieved defence production worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said talks between India and China are going smoothly and in a good environment, and India will never bow down.

Singh, who is in Ahmedabad to campaign for BJP candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections, said India has become a powerful country from a military standpoint and wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours.

“India is no longer a weak India. India has also become a powerful country from a military point of view. We want to maintain good relations with our neighbouring countries,” the minister said when asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusation against the Narendra Modi government over Chinese aggression.

Talks between India and China are going on smoothly and in a good environment over whatever issues there are, he said.

“I understand that we should wait for the outcome of the talks. But I want to assure the countrymen that India has not bowed down anywhere, nor will it ever bow down,” he said.

Singh also expressed confidence that India’s defence exports, which crossed the Rs 21,000 crore mark in the financial 2023-24, will increase going forward.

“In 2014, we exported Rs 600 crore defence items, but now the figure has crossed Rs 21,000 crore, and I can say that it is going to increase,” he said.

The minister said the Modi government is committed to ensuring that defence items, whether missiles and other weapons, bombs or tanks, should be made in India and by Indians.

“Today, we have achieved defence production worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs has been held and the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve “complete disengagement” and resolve the remaining issues along the LAC, the MEA said on Thursday.

The key meeting was held in Beijing on March 27, it said in a statement.

“The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the MEA led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement said.

“In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” it said.

The 28th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held on November 30 last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)