India Emphasizes Respect for LAC at SCO Summit 2024

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit for 2024 is currently underway in Astana, Kazakhstan, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar leading the Indian delegation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not attending this year’s summit, as he is set to visit Russia shortly. The theme for this year’s SCO Summit is “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue—Striving Towards a Sustainable Peace and Prosperity.” A total of sixteen leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are expected to participate in the discussions. India has put forth a vision for the summit based on PM Modi’s idea of a ‘secure’ SCO, where ‘secure’ stands for security, economic cooperation, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection.
The ongoing summit is focused on key areas of cooperation and development prospects between member nations, aiming to promote constructive dialogue among all interested countries involved. The leaders attending the summit are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades, along with discussing regional and international issues of significance. This year’s summit comes under the presidency of Kazakhstan, as the country currently chairs the bloc. With India and China being important members of the SCO, the respect for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is crucial in discussions between the two nations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized the importance of adhering to the LAC and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas during his meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the SCO Summit. The discussions between the two ministers highlighted the need to find an early resolution to the remaining issues along the LAC to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations. Both sides agreed to continue diplomatic and military dialogues to address the friction points along the border, such as those in Eastern Ladakh.
India’s stance at the SCO Summit underscores the significance of maintaining mutual respect, sensitivity, and interests in bilateral relations with China. The meeting between Jaishankar and Wang reiterated the commitment to abiding by relevant bilateral agreements and protocols to ensure peace and stability in the border areas. India’s support for China’s presidency of the SCO in 2025 was also extended during the discussions. The importance of observing the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interests – in the bilateral relationship was reiterated by Jaishankar, emphasizing the need for addressing obstacles to the return of normalcy in relations between India and China.