Tianjin, China
Xi Jinping struck an optimistic note as underlined that re-engaging each other is the right choice for the two neighbours
It is the right choice for both sides to be friends who have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together
said Mr Xi, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.
Thanking Xi for warm welcome on his first visit to China in seven years, Mr Modi said:
We are committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust and respect
The Indian leader also expressed satisfaction that peace has prevailed on the border since a patrolling agreement was finalised in October 2024 and his last meeting with President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
Issues relating to border peace, de-induction of troops, forging balanced trade ties and bolstering people-to-people contacts figured prominently in discussions between the two leaders.
Unlike informal summits between the two leaders in Wuhan and Mahabalipuram in 2018 and 2019, before the relations went downhill after Galwan clashes, there was a mood of cautious optimism and realism as the two leaders decided to adopt an incremental approach to improving bilateral relations.
The talks culminated in a shared understanding that sustaining peace and tranquillity on the border will be central to harmonious relations between India and China.
While some cynics see the meeting in Tianjin as mere optics, the talks were constructive and forward-looking, with a clear intent by both leaders that the two countries need to find a modus vivendi to peacefully coexist and flourish.
Ahead of PM Modi’s visit to China, Special Representatives of India and China, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held talks in New Delhi on August 19 and unveiled a series of border-related confidence-building measures that will help maintain peace on the border.
The talks culminated in setting up of three mechanisms for maintaining peace in India-China border areas. The most important of these is the setting up of an Expert Group, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), to explore Early Harvest in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas. The two sides also decided to set up a Working Group, under the WMCC, to advance effective border management and agreed to create General- Level Mechanisms in Eastern and Middle Sectors, in addition to the existing General Level Mechanism in Western Sector.
Manish Chand is in Tianjin to report on and analyse the SCO summit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China
