NEW DELHI: Three days after the Chinese foreign ministry claimed that Xi and Modi had reached an "important consensus" on stabilising bilateral ties on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali in 2022, India confirmed the interaction between the two leaders. But the Ministry of External Affairs statement refused to go any further.
"After the (Bali) Summit last year in November, Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in the dinner hosted by the Indonesian President -- they exchanged courtesies and spoke of the need to stablise our bilateral relations. We have said that the key to this resolution is the resolution of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the Western sector of the Indo-China border and also restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
India had earlier only said that the two leaders exchanged courtesies.
A handshake between PM Modi and Xi Jinping in Bali had prompted immediate speculations on the conversation they would have had, but both sides did not confirm what was discussed initially. It was finally China who let out the 'news'.
On July 24, a Chinese foreign ministry readout on a meeting between National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Johannesburg had contended that Xi and Modi reached an "important consensus" on stabilising bilateral ties at Bali.
The readout also said this consensus on stabilising bilateral relations should be converted into "specific policies" and "concerted actions" to enhance strategic mutual trust. This is largely in line with Beijing's contention that the military standoff on the LAC should be put in an "appropriate place" while the two countries take forward relations in other areas, such as trade.
India has always maintained that bilateral relations cannot be normalised until there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
In the just-concluded BRICS-NSA meet in Johannesburg, Ajit Doval had told China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi that efforts must be made to restore peace in border areas. While Wang Yi spoke about enhancing mutual trust and focus on cooperation.
"During the meeting, Ajit Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship. The NSA (National Security Advisor) emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations," according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).