Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 24: The much anticipated bilateral talks between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping did take place on the sidelines of the of the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa on Thursday.
Modi discussed the situation along the Line of Actual Control with Jinping during the bilateral talks and both the leaders agreed to work for “expeditious de-escalation” along the entire Line of Actual Control (LAC), where tensions have been high since the violent face-off in June 2020 in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.
The two leaders also agreed to direct relevant officials in their countries for expeditious disengagement along the LAC, the Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. “It was a conversation with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Prime Minister had interaction with other BRICS leaders. In the conversation with President Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s concerns over unresolved issues along the LAC and other areas along the India-China border,” Kwatra told reporters.
Kwatra said Modi underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas, and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of India-China relationship. “In this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” the Foreign Secretary said.
The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14. The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector, the Foreign Ministry had then said. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner, the ministry had said.
The BRICS Summit was chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also attended, while Russian President Vladimir Putin joined it through video conference.
A declaration unveiled at the end of the three-day BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit said the leaders of the grouping called for an expeditious finalisation and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework.
“We are committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and terrorism financing networks and safe havens,” the declaration said. “We reiterate that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group,” it said.