BRICS: Modi, Xi discuss border crisis; agree on improving Indo-China ties for stability

This was said in a Chinese readout on Friday (August 25) on the exchanges between the two leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Johannesburg.

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday said Prime Minister Modi conveyed to President Xi India's concerns on the "unresolved" issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, underlining that maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas was essential for normalisation of India-China ties.

The Chinese readout described the conversation between the two leaders on Wednesday as "candid and in-depth".

The statement issued by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday night, said the meeting was arranged on August 23 at Modi’s request.

According to reports, Indian government sources, however, have refuted the claims, stating that there was a “pending request from the Chinese side” for the meeting.

"On August 23, President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit," it said.

"President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region," it said.

"The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border region," the statement released by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said.

At a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi and President Xi agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at "expeditious disengagement and de-escalation".

“On the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the prime minister had interactions with other BRICS leaders. In a conversation with President Xi Jinping of China, the prime minister highlighted India's concerns on unresolved issues along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas," Kwatra said.

"The prime minister underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship," the foreign secretary said.

"In this regard, two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation," Kwatra added.

The government refers to the eastern Ladakh region as Western Sector.

The dialogue between Modi and Xi comes in the midst of strained Indo-China relations, which nosedived following the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. Several military-level talks to defuse the situation and maintain peace at the border since then have gone futile.

The two armies recently had their 19^th round of talks and have “agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels”.

(With inputs from agencies)