Kazan: In a development that the world had been waiting for since last year, especially in 2020, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping finally had a bilateral meeting following the faceoff in the Galwan Valley. Ghani met with Putin informally in the Russian city of Kazan during the BRICS summit – a first sign of warmer relations between Afghanistan and Russia.
This meeting is significant for it is the first time the two leaders are to have a one-on-one conversation since the border crisis that started four years ago. Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to be lacing his boots as a mediator between Modi & Xi during the course of the Summit.
A Highly Anticipated Meeting
Thus, as all the world held its breath for the first time, it was again 5 PM Indian time and the bilateral discussions started. President Xi was kind enough to begin with praises as he welcomed Prime Minister Modi saying, “Mr. Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to see that you have agreed to meet here in Kazan.” I have not reviewed such a discussion since we last had a strategic session of five years ago. He underlined that the world and the people of both nations have been expecting this moment and urged for more interaction between two world’s oldest civilizations.
A Welcome Development
While the meeting, Modi expressed approval on the latest cooperation on border patrol between India and China which aimed at easing the provate tensions. But the Prime minister of India was very much clear in his statement and said that there should be no fighting near the border if two JOINTI want to have good relations. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should be the guiding principle between the two nation in the future as stated by Modi.
Going Over the Time-Requested Work
As planned for the 30 minutes, Modi and Xi spent nearly 50 minutes in their deliberations on the various issues between India and China. After the meeting, the two leaders came out of the closed door smiling and shook hands to send positive signals to policymakers in the diplomatic world.
Can This Meeting Help to Smooth Relations Across the Border?
As the two leaders emerged from the summit, many are still asking if this summit will be the dawn of a new era in the relations of the two Asian neighbors. And, are we now witnessing the formation of a new understanding of cooperation, or a short interlude in the conflict with the same enemy?
people behind Modi-Xi talks
The groundwork for this significant bilateral meeting was laid by five key figures:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin who tried to force China to meddle with its border issue with India.
- Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who met with several of his Chinese counterpart at different occasions.
- In terms of the formers mediation, this role belongs to the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
- The recently released framework for the talks was co-authored by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
- China’s new ambassador who tried to ease the tension in Sino-Indian relations through such measures as stating that India is prosperous and successfully practicing multilateral diplomacy.
The Role of Vladimir Putin
The decision from the Chinese authorities came after intense pressure from Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter meaningful negotiations with India. In recent months, a few bilateral talks between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Jaishankar with Wang Yi paved way for the Modi-Xi summit. Something far more foundational, I believe, was the political support provided by the Modi government to the talks, and the role of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in backstage management of the process.
Diplomatic Progress
More recently in the last several months the new Chinese ambassador to India has made a number of public overtures including the country’s desire and willingness to increase trade with India, India being a rising world power and acknowledging India’s economic successes. Another aspect that Chinese media responded positively when it came to India was its expanding international profile – which in turn helped to foster the kind of climate that is beneficial for discourse.
What Lies Ahead?
As Modi and Xi’s meeting concludes, one critical question remains: Strategies for building trust with China and settling the border disputes that have torn the two nations apart for many years? This meeting is a start, but whether the meeting marks the beginning of true peace between the two countries only time will tell.
For now all their attention stays on these talks to see how the relations of India and China will transform in the following months.
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