Modi-Jinping Meeting / From betrayal to friendship...how much have India-China relations changed in 5 years?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Kazan, Russia for the BRICS summit. Today he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is the first bilateral talks in five years. There have been ups and downs in India-China relations during this period, but an agreement has been reached on the withdrawal of troops on the LAC.

Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 23, 2024, 11:12 AM
Modi-Jinping Meeting: The second day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia has witnessed important events in international politics. PM Modi has arrived in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the BRICS summit, and the most important stop of this visit is his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The eyes of the whole world are fixed on this bilateral talks, as this meeting is taking place after 5 years. Over the years, there have been many ups and downs in the relationship between India and China, including incidents ranging from border disputes to military clashes.

Modi-Jinping bilateral talks after 5 years

This is the first time since 2019 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold face-to-face bilateral talks. Xi Jinping visited India in 2019, and the two leaders met at an informal summit in Mahabalipuram. However, just a few months later, China started a military standoff on the LAC (Line of Actual Control), which brought deep tension in relations between the two countries. The violent clash between the soldiers of the two countries in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020 further escalated this tension.

Story of India-China border dispute

The history of border disputes between India and China is long and complex, but in recent years this dispute has become even more serious. On 5-6 May 2020, there was a clash between the soldiers of the two countries near Pangong Lake, followed by a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Since these incidents, several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have been going on between the two countries. Recently, India and China have agreed to patrol the LAC in October 2024, which is an important step towards ending the 4-year-long deadlock.

Agreement before talks

Ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping, India and China finalized an agreement on the issue of patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Under this agreement, both the countries have agreed to restore the situation before April 2020, which is expected to reduce tensions on the border. This agreement is being seen as an important breakthrough towards bilateral talks, as it came after incidents that led to a lack of trust between the two countries.

Meaning of the agreement

This agreement on the LAC can have far-reaching effects. On the one hand, it is important to maintain peace on the border and prevent future clashes of troops, on the other hand, it can be an important step towards a long-term solution between the two countries. However, experts believe that more talks will be needed to completely resolve the border dispute.

Modi-Jinping meeting: Future prospects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping have had 18 meetings between 2014 and 2020, in which the two leaders held bilateral talks at several international forums. However, since 2020, the relationship between the two leaders had soured. Now, this dialogue, which is taking place after 5 years, is expected to reduce tensions between India and China and take important steps towards a permanent solution to the border dispute.

This meeting also has global importance, because both India and China are major economic powers and stability and cooperation between the two will have a positive impact on the politics and economy of Asia. The deep relations between the two countries are not just political, but also trade and cultural.

Therefore, this bilateral dialogue is considered important not only for rebuilding India-China relations but also for stabilizing the global power balance.