The landmark agreement India and China reached recently to end one of the longest military standoffs in recent times received the final seal of approval from PM Modi and President Xi Jinping, as the two held a bilateral meeting after a gap of 5 years and endorsed the deal. This, according to the Indian side, will lead to a further easing of the situation along LAC.
As the next step forward, the two agreed in their 50-minute meeting in Kazan, Russia, to soon have the Special Representatives (SRs) talks on the India-China boundary question, which has not taken place since 2019, and underlined the need to take relations forward from a “strategic and long-term perspective, enhance strategic communication and explore cooperation to address developmental challenges”.
The SRs, Ajit Doval and Wang Yi have met on several occasions on the sidelines of multilateral events, including last month in St Petersburg, but not under the SR talks format.
According to an Indian readout, PM Modi welcomed the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in eastern Ladakh, which also led to the deadly Galwan clash that year, and underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquility. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said Modi also assured Xi of India’s full support to China’s SCO presidency in 2025.
China described the meeting as constructive and one that carried great significance. China, however, did not use the word agreement in its readout with the spokesperson only saying that Modi and Xi commended the “important progress” that had been reached through intensive communication on relevant issues in the border areas. There was no joint statement either on the border agreement or even on the Modi-Xi meeting.
“We believe that the importance of India-China relations is not just for our people. Our relations are also important for global peace, stability and progress,’’ Modi told Xi in his opening remarks, adding he was looking forward to constructive talks with an open mind. He also mentioned the 3 mutuals -mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity – that India has often said should form the basis of bilateral ties. India had maintained for the past 5 years that ties could return to normal only through restoration of peace and tranquility along the border.
