Kazan, Russia:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Russia today for the first bilateral meeting since 2019. Ties between India and China had taken a severe hit since the military stand-off in Ladakh as a result of Beijing’s “unilateral” actions of violating the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto boundary between the two countries.
The bilateral talks between PM Modi and Xi Jinping took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the city of Kazan in Russia. It happened less than 72 hours after a breakthrough in talks – both at diplomatic and military levels – ensuring that the status quo returns to what it was before May 2020, when the stand off in Ladakh began with the military clash in Galwan.
The breakthrough in the patrolling arrangement comes four years after the Galwan Valley clash and signals a move towards de-escalation in a region where both countries stationed tens of thousands of troops.
The meeting underscored the upturn in the India-China relation following a consensus on patrolling arrangement along the Line of Actual Control that had faced multiple hiccups over the last few years.
PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first bilateral meeting in 5 years
WHAT PM MODI SAID
“We are having a formal meeting after 5 years. We believe that the India-China relationship is very important not only for our people but also for global peace, stability and progress. We welcome the consensus reached on the issues that have arisen in the last 4 years on the border. Maintaining peace and stability on the border should remain our priority. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of our relations.”
WHAT XI JINPING SAID
“Mr Prime Minister, it is my great pleasure to meet you here in Kazan. It is the first time for us to have a formal (bilateral) meeting in five years time.Both the people in our two countries and the international community are paying close attention to our meeting.
China and India are both ancient civilisations, major developing countries, and important members of the Global South. We are both at a crucial phase in our respective modernisation endeavours. It best serves the fundamental interest of our two countries and two peoples for both sides to keep to the trend of history and the right directions of our bilateral relations.
It is important for both sides to have more communication and cooperation, properly handle our differences and disagreements, and to facilitate each others pursuit of development aspirations. It is also important for both sides to shoulder our international responsibility, set an example for boosting the strength and unity of the developing countries, and to contribute to promoting multipolarisation and democracy in international relations.
Mr Prime Minister, I am prepared to exchange views with your excellency on our bilateral relationship and issues of mutual interest.”
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
There have been a couple of brief interactions between PM Modi and Xi Jinping since the 2020 Galwan clash – on the sidelines of the the G20 summit in Indonesia’s Bali in November 2022 and the BRICS summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg in August 2023. However, these were not bilateral meetings where trade, economy and other factors were discussed.
There had been no direct flight between the two nations for four years. Visa for Chinese technicians was granted after extra layers of security and investments from companies based in neighbouring countries needed extra vetting and security clearances.
The outcome of the bilateral meeting will make it clear if trade, economic and people-to-people ties will return to normalcy.