PM Modi, President Xi To Hold Bilateral Talks At BRICS Summit After Recent Border Breakthrough
PM Modi, President Xi set to hold bilateral meet at BRICS
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for their first bilateral discussion since the 2020 Galwan clash, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia, confirmed India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
This meeting signals a potential improvement in India-China relations following a consensus on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control, which has faced numerous challenges in recent years.
Amid speculation about renewed relations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the bilateral meeting is set. “I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting held between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit,” he told news agency ANI.
Since the 2020 Galwan clash, the two leaders have had a few brief interactions—once during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, and again at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2023.
The leaders are currently in Kazan, Russia, where Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also attending the BRICS summit.
The breakthrough in the patrolling arrangement comes four years after the Galwan Valley clash, marking a step towards de-escalation in a region where both countries had deployed tens of thousands of troops. This arrangement, aimed at restoring the pre-2020 system, serves as a stabilizing move and a confidence-building measure between New Delhi and Beijing.
On June 15, 2020, Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Galwan Valley amid heightened tensions along the Line of Actual Control, resulting in casualties on both sides and straining bilateral relations.
Although gradual de-escalation has occurred, a full return to the pre-Galwan status remained difficult to achieve. The conflict also sparked tensions in other areas, further complicating relations between the two nations.
