Modi, Xi stress border peace, global stability in crucial meet

India on Sunday emphasised the link between peace and tranquillity on the border and further development of ties with China, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping committed themselves to a mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary issue and to working together to stabilise the global economy.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Modi, on his first visit to China in seven years to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, met Xi for the second time since the two sides agreed last October to end a standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which began in April-May 2020. The face-off took bilateral ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.

The two leaders welcomed “positive momentum and steady progress” in bilateral ties since they met in the Russian city of Kazan last year, and said India and China are “development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes”, the external affairs ministry said in a readout after the meeting that lasted about an hour.

In the face of Xi’s suggestion that the border issue shouldn't define the overall India-China relationship, Modi underlined the “importance of peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations”. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the successful disengagement of troops in 2024 and maintenance of peace since then.

"They expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the longterm interests of the two peoples," the readout said.

Modi said the discussions in Kazan last year had given a positive direction to bilateral relations. "After the disengagement at the border, an atmosphere of peace and stability is now in place. Our Special Representatives have also reached an agreement on border management," he said.

"We are committed to advancing our relations based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity," he added.