Xi and Modi hold first formal talks in five years

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to boost communication and cooperation between their countries and resolve conflicts to help improve ties that were damaged by a deadly military clash in 2020.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia for their first formal talks in five years, signaling that ties between the Asian giants have begun to recover from the diplomatic rift caused by the clash along their disputed Himalayan frontier.

India and China, two of the world’s biggest economies, have maintained strong trade ties despite the military and diplomatic tensions. The rapprochement is expected to boost Chinese investment in India.

India said the two leaders have directed their officials to take further steps to stabilize all aspects of bilateral ties.

The Xi-Modi meeting in Kazan came two days after New Delhi said it had reached a deal with Beijing to resolve the four-year military stand-off in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. However, neither side has shared details of the pact.

The two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, resolve conflicts and differences, and realize each other’s development dreams, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, who reported Xi as telling Modi.

Modi put forward ideas for improving and developing bilateral relations, to which Xi agreed in principle, CCTV added without elaborating.

In response, Modi told Xi that peace, stability, mutual trust, and respect were crucial for relations.

“We welcome the agreement on the issues that had come up over the last four years,” Modi told Xi in comments aired on India’s state broadcaster Doordarshan.

“Maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border should be our priority. Mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity should be the basis of our relationship,” Modi said.