Indian sources dismiss the recent claim made by China saying the China-India talks on the margins of the 15th BRICS Summit happened at the latter’s request
Our Bureau
Johannesburg/New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in which he highlighted India’s concerns at the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh with the two leaders agreeing to direct their relevant officials “to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation”.
On Thursday, both leaders (PM Modi and Xi) greeted each other ahead of the BRICS leaders’ briefing where they were seen interacting briefly on the stage. The relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been strained since the border standoff for which talks have been going on. India and China held the 19th round of Corps commander-level talks earlier this month at Chushul-Moldo on the Indian side.
Addressing a press conference on India’s participation at the 15th BRICS summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi had interactions with other BRICS leaders during the summit. He said PM Modi in his conversation with the Chinese President underlined that the maintenance of peace in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalization of the India-China ties.
“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 the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border areas. Prime Minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalization of the India-China relationship,” Kwatra said.
“In this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” he added.
India and China held the 19th round of Corps Commander Level talks earlier this month at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Indian side. Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement that the two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.
There has been disengagement from some friction points along LAC in eastern Ladakh following a stand-off between India and China in April 2020 due to the actions of the Chinese army.
Meanwhile, Indian sources have dismissed the recent claim made by China saying the China-India talks on the margins of the 15th BRICS Summit happened at the latter’s request. A statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry stated, “President Xi Jinping talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at the latter’s request on August 23, 2023”.
But Indian sources have said that “there was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting”. The sources also confirmed that “the two leaders, however, had an informal conversation in the Leaders Lounge during the BRICS Summit”.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement also added that the “two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest and President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and people, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest.
“President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region. 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 Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.
