What led to the Modi-Xi meeting and the thaw in India-China relations

Four years after Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in a brutal and deadly clash along a disputed Himalayan border, the leaders of the two countries have finally met formally.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Russia.

The meeting came days after the two sides announced they had reached an agreement on “disengagement and resolution of issues in these areas.”

On Wednesday, Modi and Xi welcomed the move and pledged to resume dialogue between their nations.

The leaders agreed to set an early date for a meeting between their senior officials to resolve the issues.

Relations between India and China have been plagued by tensions for decades, with the root cause being a poorly defined 3,440 km (2,100 mile) long disputed border. Rivers, lakes and snow-capped peaks along the border cause the line to shift often, bringing soldiers face to face in many places, sometimes triggering a confrontation.

The two countries fought a war in 1962 during which India suffered a heavy defeat. Since then, several clashes have taken place between the two camps.

When India abrogated Article 370 of its constitution in 2019, removing guaranteed autonomy for Indian-administered Kashmir, China denounced the decision to the UN Security Council. Kashmir included high-altitude Ladakh, parts of which are claimed by China.

The Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 were their worst confrontation in decades. At least 20 Indian soldiers And four Chinese soldiers were killed.

Later that year, both countries withdrew their troops from parts of the disputed border and pledged to ease tensions – but the situation remained tense.

Troops from both sides clashed again in the northern Sikkim region in 2021 and then in the Tawang border sector in 2022.

The military standoff has also affected trade relations between the two countries, with Delhi increasing its scrutiny of Chinese investments in the country and banning several popular Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok. It also halted direct passenger flights to China.

While Wednesday's meeting between Modi and Xi was their first formal talks since October 2019, the leaders had a side meeting at the G20 summit in Bali in 2022. A few months later, China said that she had reached a consensus during the meeting to restore bilateral relations. .

The two leaders also met informally on the sidelines of the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, where they agreed to step up disengagement and de-escalation efforts, Reuters reports.

The same year, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan and agreed to intensify negotiations.

Last month, Jaishankar said about 75% of the “disengagement” at the border had been resolved.

A few days later, civil aviation authorities from both sides also met and discussed an early resumption of direct passenger flights.

Several media outlets, including Bloomberg, have reported that Indian companies have been lobbying the government to ease restrictions on China, saying they hurt India's high-end manufacturing industry, as chip manufacturing sector.

But Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday that India would be careful in easing restrictions on Chinese companies.

On Monday, Jaishankar said the two countries had agreed to resume border patrols and return to the situation that existed before the 2020 clashes.

“We can thus say that the disengagement with China is complete,” he added.

The Indian army chief said countries were now trying to rebuild trust. “This will happen once we can see each other and we are able to convince and reassure each other that we are not infiltrating the buffer zones that have been created,” said General Upendra Dwivedi.

China's Foreign Ministry did not comment on the details of the agreement, but confirmed that the two sides had reached resolutions on the relevant issues.

“China welcomes the progress made and will continue to work with India for the proper implementation of these resolutions,” spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Modi and Xi announced that their special representatives would meet to find solutions “to explore a just, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue,” India's foreign ministry said in a statement.

He added that their ministers and other officials would also work to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations.

The leaders spoke of the importance of maintaining good relations, with Prime Minister Modi saying their relationship was vital for world peace.

Maintaining peace and stability at the border must remain our priority. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity must remain the basis of our relations, he said.

The Brics summit brought together leaders of 36 countries who discussed ways to reduce the South's dependence on the dollar as a currency between countries. The summit also took place in the presence of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

President Xi told Modi that the international community was closely following the meeting. He said Delhi and Beijing must set an example by strengthening the unity of developing countries and helping promote multipolarization and democracy in international relations.

Both China and India are ancient civilizations, important developing countries, and important members of the South. We are both in a crucial phase of our respective modernization efforts,” he added.