Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit as both countries have taken significant steps towards easing tensions along their shared border.
The meeting in the capital of Tatarstan marks the first formal interaction between the two leaders in five years and follows the two countries reaching an agreement on resuming regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday said at a media briefing, “I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.”
Modi met with Xi last in October 2019 in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu months before the June 2020 clashes in Galwan that led to a military standoff.
The two leaders met during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in 2022 and then in Johannesburg, South Africa (2023).
On October 21, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that an agreement had been reached regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border area.
Foreign Secretary Misri told media persons that the agreement “is the outcome of extensive discussions over the past several weeks with Chinese interlocutors at both diplomatic and military levels.”
He said that military commanders have been involved in negotiations aimed at addressing the tensions that have persisted since 2020.
China on Tuesday also said that it has reached a resolution with India on resolving their border conflict and will work to implement solutions. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in a regular press briefing said, “We have reached a resolution on the relevant matter, will work with the Indian side to implement the solution. We are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels.”
The highly anticipated meeting between PM Modi and President Xi in Kazan is expected to be a pivotal moment in India-China relations. The two leaders are likely engage in discussions over the recent agreement on patrolling along the LAC and other areas of shared interest like trade.
Robinder Nath Sachdev, foreign affairs expert said, “I think it is great development for PM Modi and Xi Jinping and the conditions have now been created by improvement in the situation in the LAC. The more important thing would be now to see other concrete outcomes from this Modi-Xi Jinping meeting. The bilateral is happening and it has to have some meaningful outcomes. I think one of the outcomes that PM Modi will push for is balancing of the bilateral trade between India and China.”
“Our bilateral trade is USD 120 billion, out of which we export only USD 20 billion and we import USD 100 billion. So I think China has to lower some of its tariffs or non-tariff barriers to Indian trade so that the trade increases but at the same time, the deficit decreases,” he said.
He added, “On the LAC, a longer-term view of how to keep and preserve peace on LAC, these would be two big outcomes I would look forward to see.”
(ANI)