KAZAN: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in their first formal talks in five years on Wednesday, signaling a potential thaw in relations between the two nations, which have been strained since a deadly military clash in 2020.
The leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, just days after New Delhi announced a deal with Beijing to address the four-year military standoff along their Himalayan border.
China and India, longstanding rivals, have frequently accused each other of attempting to encroach on territory along their unofficial boundary, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Following the 2020 border skirmish, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, both countries withdrew tens of thousands of troops and agreed to refrain from patrolling a narrow strip surrounding the LAC.
The meeting comes after Beijing’s foreign ministry expressed its “positive approval” of a border deal earlier this week. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian confirmed that “China and India have maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels regarding border issues.” He added, “Currently, the two sides have reached a resolution on the relevant issues. China gives its positive approval to this.”
This statement from Beijing aligns with remarks made by India’s foreign ministry, which indicated that an agreement had been reached concerning patrolling arrangements along the LAC. The deal aims to facilitate “disengagement and eventually resolve the issues that arose in 2020,” according to Indian foreign ministry official Misri.
India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that disengagement with China was “complete” and that more details would be disclosed in due course. He emphasized that the understanding “creates a basis for peace and tranquility along the border, similar to conditions before 2020.”
Disputes over the 3,500-kilometer frontier remain a persistent source of tension between China and India, both of which are major economies vying for strategic influence across South Asia.
