Modi, Xi Jinping hold 1st formal talk in 5 years
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first formal talks in five years on Wednesday. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. The development marks a possible thaw in ties between India and China, which had soured after a deadly military clash in 2020 along the Galwan Valley in Ladakh that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Border agreement signals easing of India-China tensions
Since the 2020 clash, both nations have strengthened their military presence along the disputed frontier with more troops and weapons. However, two days ago, New Delhi announced that it had reached a deal with Beijing to resolve the four-year military stand-off on the disputed frontier. The details of this agreement remain undisclosed, but an Indian military source told Reuters that both sides would patrol contested areas per a mutually agreed schedule to avoid further confrontations.
Border resolution key to improving India-China relations
India has repeatedly tied the improvement of broader political and economic ties with China to the resolution of the border stand-off. Since the Ladakh clashes, New Delhi has ramped up scrutiny on Chinese investments and suspended direct flights between the two nations. Modi and Xi had also not held official bilateral conversations since, despite their participation in global gatherings. The last formal summit between the two leaders was held in October 2019 in Mamallapuram, India.
Modi-Xi's meeting may determine future of bilateral ties
The two chatted briefly on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Bali in November 2022, exchanging pleasantries. They spoke again on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg in August 2023 but released differing interpretations of the conversation, indicating that the two sides did not agree. The result of the Modi-Xi meeting could define the future of trade, economic, and people-to-people ties between India and China.
