BRICS Summit: No confirmation yet on PM Modi meeting Jinping
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the BRICS Summit, his first in-person appearance since the COVID-19 pandemic, in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24. While PM Modi's bilateral meetings with other leaders are still being finalized, it hasn't been confirmed whether he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. Last month, it was disclosed that PM Modi and Jinping met briefly in Bali last year to discuss the need to stabilize bilateral relations.
Why does this story matter?
Bilateral ties between India and China nosedived after 2020, when Indian and Chinese forces clashed in Ladakh's Galwan Valley. Both countries have varied perceptions of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the neighbors, leading to frequent friction. The two sides have held 19 rounds of talks so far and have agreed to resolve the remaining issues expeditiously. India maintains that normal ties with China cannot be established unless there is peace in the border areas.
India supports expansion of BRICS
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said India supports the initiative for the expansion of BRICS with an open mind. The BRICS Summit aims to foster cooperation and collaboration among member countries in various sectors, including trade, investment, and sustainable development. The summit will bring together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, along with several guest countries.
LAC situation eroded trust: Ajit Doval
The BRICS National Security Advisors' (NSA) meeting was held in Johannesburg last month. India's NSA, Ajit Doval, met China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, and said the LAC situation had "eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship" between India and China. Subsequently, to ease tensions, the Chinese foreign ministry said PM Modi and Jinping had "reached an important consensus on stabilizing China-India relations" during their meeting at the G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022.
Chinese foreign ministry's statement put MEA on the spot
Until the Chinese foreign ministry's disclosure, which came eight months late, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) maintained that PM Modi and Jinping exchanged only pleasantries during the handshake. It was touted as PM Modi snubbing Jinping by steering clear of any discussion beyond common courtesy. Following this, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi confirmed the Chinese foreign ministry's statement, denting the Indian government's claims that it had adopted a "no-compromise policy" against China given the border tensions.
