‘Maintaining peace must be priority’: PM Modi to Jinping during bilateral meeting

Kazan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told Chinese President Xi Jinping that maintaining peace at border areas must be a priority between both countries. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan for the first official bilateral meeting since the 2020 Galwan incident.

Notably, a violent clash took place between the soldiers of India and China in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed during the incident. Since then, tensions continued to increase between both countries.

Mutual trust and mutual respect must be the basis of ties: PM Modi

Recalling that this was their first formal bilateral meeting since 2019, the Prime Minister further noted that mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity must be the basis of the relationship between the two countries. PM Modi also expressed confidence that both leaders would hold talks with their hearts open and that discussions would be constructive.

PM Modi welcomes consensus at LAC

The PM also welcomed the consensus that both countries last Monday at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, after tensions further increased between India and China in the last four years.

Taking to X later he wrote, “Met President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Kazan BRICS Summit. India-China relations are important for the people of our countries and for regional and global peace and stability. Mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity will guide bilateral relations.”