Modi, Xi hold key talks at Brics to rebuild ties

New Delhi, Kazan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first landmark “structured bilateral meeting” in five years on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Modi underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes to prevent them from disturbing peace and tranquility. He also “welcomed the recent agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas.”

New Delhi, in a statement, said that the two leaders agreed that the special representatives (SRs) on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquility in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. “The relevant dialogue mechanisms at the level of foreign ministers and other officials will also be utilised to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations,” it added.

Prime Minister Modi and President Xi agreed that India and China can have a “peaceful and stable” relationship by displaying maturity and mutual respect. In a post on X, Modi said: “India-China relations are important for the people of our countries, and for regional and global peace and stability… Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity will guide bilateral relations.”

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) further stated that “the two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbours and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.”

The leaders underlined the need to progress bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, enhance strategic communication, and explore cooperation to address development challenges, the MEA added.

At a media briefing in Kazan, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the expectation was that Wednesday’s meeting would result in an easing of the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and pave the way towards normalcy. He further stated that the recent pact announced pertained to the Depsang and Demchok areas in Ladakh. When asked if Russia had played peacemaker, Misri said: “We are in Kazan and thankful to Russia for the venue.”

The meeting follows the pact announced on Monday between the two Asian giants regarding patrolling rights along the LAC, under which the patrolling rights of soldiers and the grazing rights of herdsmen would revert to what they were in 2020.

This was the first bilateral meeting of the two since the Mahabalipuram Summit near Chennai in 2019 and since the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh in June 2020 between troops of both sides.

Modi and President Xi last interacted and exchanged pleasantries during the G-20 Summit two years ago in Bali, Indonesia. However, perhaps due to tensions with India, President Xi skipped the G-20 summit hosted by India in New Delhi in September last year, although Beijing was represented at a senior level.

Chinese state media, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that Xi told Modi that China and India should strengthen cooperation. “It is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples that China and India correctly grasp the trend of history and the direction of development of bilateral relations,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying.

“The two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, properly handle divergences and differences, and realise each other’s development dreams,” it added.

CCTV said Xi told Modi that the two countries should “shoulder international responsibilities, set an example for developing countries to seek strength through unity, and contribute to a multi-polar world and democratisation of international relations.”