PM Modi, China’s Xi spoke on need to stabilise bilateral ties at Bali G20 meet

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 28, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping not only exchanged courtesies at the G20 summit in Bali last November, but also spoke on the need to stabilise bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs has said.

 

The government’s statement came two days after Beijing claimed that PM Modi and Xi Jinping reached an "important consensus" on stabilising bilateral ties during their interaction at the G20 Summit in Bali.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated, "During the Bali G20 summit last year, the Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping, at the conclusion of the dinner hosted by the Indonesian President, exchanged pleasantries and discussed the necessity of stabilising our bilateral relations."

He said, "Our consistent stance has been that resolving the issue along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of the India-China boundary and restoring peace and tranquillity in the border areas is crucial for the overall resolution."

Bagchi made the comments in response to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and top diplomat Wang Yi in Johannesburg earlier this week, in which it said PM Modi and Xi reached a consensus in Bali on stabilising relations.

The MEA had previously mentioned the exchange of pleasantries between PM Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, which was their first public interaction since the border standoff began in May 2020.

“I think the foreign secretary did mention. Maybe he didn’t mention the second part of it. He did talk about extending courtesies and I think there was a general discussion on the need to stabilise our bilateral relations and how we see that,” Bagchi said.

Currently, Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff at certain friction points in eastern Ladakh. However, disengagement has taken place in several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

Ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

When asked about the Chinese President’s attendance at the G20 summit in Delhi, Bagchi stated that India is making all the necessary preparations for the successful participation of all invited leaders.

Courtesy: India Today