PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with Xi Jinping

New Delhi| The first bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping since the Galwan clashes in 2020 will take place during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

The meeting comes as the two countries have reached an agreement on patrolling along the nearly 3,500-kilometre-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), bringing an end to the four-year-long border dispute. Due to this dispute there was a violent clash in Galwan Valley.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit tomorrow.” Earlier, China had informed that an agreement has been reached between India and China regarding border patrolling. “For the past few weeks, India and China were in constant touch through diplomatic and military channels”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. Now both sides have agreed on a solution, which China appreciates. Going forward, China and India together will implement these agreements”

Expressing his views on the issue, the Foreign Secretary said, “In the last few weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators were in constant touch with each other at various forums”. As a result of these discussions, an agreement has been reached for patrolling along the Line of Actual Control, which will enable the problems posed in 2020 to be resolved. We will now move on to taking the next steps.”

After the Galwan conflict, only one formal meeting between the two leaders took place during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2023. In addition, an informal dialogue was also held during the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022.