INDIA, CHINA DEFROST TIES IN RUSSIAN WINTER

If All eyes on Modi-Xi meeting on the sidelines of BRICS Summit

- MANISH CHAND

In a major breakthrough, India and China decided to defrost their conflicted ties by setting up the first bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23.

Ending speculation, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced the meeting between the leaders of India and China on the sidelines of the BRICS summit at a press briefing in Kazan, signalling a new beginning in troubled relations between Asia's leading economies.

Confirming the meeting, Mr Mistri confirmed the agreement on restoring patrolling rights to pre-2020 position, and indicated that the disengagement of Chinese troops from the remaining friction points in Demchok and Depang has been completed.

The meeting between PM Modi and President Xi is expected to take place in the afternoon on October 23, the last bilateral meeting he will hold before departing for New Delhi. Mr Mistri refused to go into details about the themes of discussion between the two leaders and was circumspect about the way forward for India-China relations.

However, highly-placed sources indicated that there is a strong possibility of the Modi-Xi meeting leading to a revival of the dialogue process, which was suspended after the Galwan killings in the summer of 2020.

Mr Mistri's announcement about the patrolling deal in New Delhi, a day before PM Modi's departure for Kazan had fuelled speculation about a thaw in India-China ties.