PM Modis' comments on China are very significant and indicate a desire for re-engagement after the poll, experts say

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections, at Kanhan (Pipri), Nagpur on April 10, 2024. | Photo credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are very significant, according to Indian foreign affairs experts. The Chinese Foreign Ministry (MFA) also reacted to his remarks on Thursday, calling on India to work with China to put bilateral relations on a healthy and stable track.

In an interview with the American magazine News weekreleased on Wednesday, Mr. Modi broke his silence on India's relations with China and the impasse in the LAC which has lasted since April 2020. He had called on both sides to urgently remedy the situation extended at our borders so that any anomaly in our bilateral interactions can be left behind.

I hope and believe that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and maintain peace and tranquility on our borders, the Prime Minister added.

Serving common interests

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing that Modis' comments had been taken into account and that healthy and stable China-India relations served the interests common to both parties and were conducive to peace and development in the region and beyond. Mao added, however, that the border issue does not represent the entirety of Sino-Indian relations.

The prime minister's comments were very significant, according to Pankaj Saran, who served as deputy national security adviser between 2018 and 2021, and is now the convenor of a think tank called NatStrat.

Signal to the world

This is an important signal for China, the United States and the world at large, he said, indicating that the prime minister may have prepared the ground to take up issues with China on priority at during his third term, if he is re-elected. during the next general election.

He also highlighted changes in China's relations with other global players, including the resumption of negotiations with the United States and Europe and closer engagement with Russia, as relevant. Senior U.S. officials recently visited Beijing, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit France next month, on his first trip to Europe since 2019.

Tough speeches from ministers

Mr Modi has so far avoided directly referring to China or making comments in public or in Parliament on the state of relations over the past four years. Moreover, his remarks follow a series of harsher statements by Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who has repeatedly accused China of violating its agreements with India by amassing troops in the LAC region. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has criticized China for renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, suggesting India would do the same and accusing Beijing of souring relations. Addressing a public gathering, Home Minister Amit Shah also said that due to India's vigilance, Chinese troops had not been able to capture an inch of territory Indian.

The prime minister's remarks reflect the careful and cautious tone adopted by Mr. Modi right after the Galwan incident, said Shyam Saran, former foreign minister and chairman of the National Security Advisory Council, now president of the International Center Indian. These comments could signal to China that it is ready to re-engage and repair relations, he added.

Consequential relationship

Talk to The HinduFormer Indian Ambassador to China Ashok Kantha said it was also important for the Prime Minister to underline India's position that normalcy in relations would depend on the restoration of the situation at the border.

This is a reiteration of the position adopted by the government since the summer of 2020, even if the Prime Minister mentions the importance of Indo-Chinese relations. Indeed, despite a serious slowdown in bilateral engagement, India has never questioned the importance of this consequential relationship, Kantha said.

Other diplomats said the prime minister's comments signaled a softening of stance, including his comments on the Quad, in which he compared the Quad to other groupings of which India is a part.

United States, Australia, Japan, India, China: all these countries are members of numerous groups. We are present in different combinations in different groups. Quad is not directed against any country. Like many other international groupings, like the SCO, BRICS and others, Quad is also a group of like-minded countries working on a common positive agenda, Mr. Modi had told Newsweek magazine.

Close communication

In her response, Ning also said that China and India have maintained close communication and made positive progress on the border situation. We hope that India will work with China, approach bilateral relations from a strategic point of view and from a long-term perspective, continue to build trust and engage in dialogue and cooperation, and seek to handle disagreements appropriately to put relationships on a healthy and stable path. added the spokesperson.

(With contributions from Nikhil M. Babu/Beijing)