BRICS Summit: Modi meets Xi, says there's new direction to India-China ties

The meeting between Modi and Xi in the Brazilian capital comes days after India decided not to join China-backed mega RCEP.

Business Standard : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping here and said there has been a "new direction and new energy" in bilateral ties after their second informal summit in Chennai as the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen India-China relations, including on the trade front.

Modi, who is in Brazil for the 11th BRICS Summit which will focus on building mechanisms for counter-terrorism cooperation and strengthen India's ties with the world's five major economies, met Xi on the sidelines of the meeting, over a month after the two leaders held their second informal summit in India.

Prime Minister Modi told President Xi: "I am glad to meet you once again".

"When I look back, we had met for the first time in Brazil itself... our journey began. The journey of unknown people has today turned into a close friendship. We have since then met in many forums, bilaterals, you visited my home state, took me to your village, you came to receive me outside Beijing in Wuhan.... It is such a significant thing that within the five years, there have been so much trust and friendly relations.

"As you said and I believe that our meeting in Chennai gave our journey a new direction and new energy. Without any agenda, we talked about each other's issues, global situations... these have been very successful," Modi said.

The two leaders held talks on a wide range of bilateral issues.

They met for the second informal summit at Mamallapuram, a coastal town near Chennai, on October 11-12 and discussed a range of bilateral issues, vowing to jointly combat terrorism and radicalisation, and expand bilateral trade and investment.

The meeting between Modi and Xi in the Brazilian capital comes days after India decided not to join China-backed mega Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) over unresolved "core concerns", with India saying the proposed deal would have adverse impact on the lives and livelihoods of all Indians.

It also took place amidst renewed strain in ties between the two countries over the Kashmir issue. A joint statement issued after talks between President Xi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last month said China is paying "close attention" to the situation in the Kashmir and that it should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter.

In its reaction, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India's consistent and clear position has been that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and China is well aware of New Delhi's position.

India-China border tensions flare up as soldiers scuffle in Ladakh: Report

The tensions flared up even as the Indian Army is all set to hold a major exercise to test its new integrated battle groups in Arunachal Pradesh in October, added the report.

Tensions at the border between India and China flared up again on Wednesday after a prolonged confrontation between the troops of both countries in eastern Ladakh, the Times of India reported on Thursday.

Sources told the national daily that the face-off began soon after dawn on Wednesday on the northern bank of the 134-km-long Pangong Tso -- 'Tso' means lake -- two-thirds of which is controlled by China.

The tensions flared up even as the Indian Army is all set to hold a major exercise to test its new integrated battle groups (IBGs) in Arunachal Pradesh in October, added the report.

An unnamed source told ToI that Indian Army soldiers were on a patrol when People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers confronted them.

According to the source, the PLA soldiers "strongly objected" to the presence of the Indian soldiers in the area. The source added that this led to a scuffle between the soldiers of the two countries, with both sides sending in some reinforcements to the area. "The face-off was in progress at the site till the evening,” the source told the national daily.

In its response to the paper, the Indian Army said that delegation-level talks, led by brigadier-rank officers, had been "agreed to by the two sides" in accordance with the established bilateral mechanism to defuse such tensions.

"Such incidents often take place due to differing perceptions of where the Line of Actual Control (LAC) actually lies... they are usually resolved through border personnel meetings, flag meetings and the like," an unnamed officer told ToI.

Business Standard