PM Modi with Xi Jinping (AP photo)
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China after seven years is being closely watched, as New Delhi and Beijing prepare for a major reset against the backdrop of tariff diplomacy unleashed by US President Donald Trump.PM Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen as a cushion against the Trump tariff, as both nations have agreed to enhance “mutual trust” and acknowledged the significance of peace at the border.During the high-stakes meeting in Tianjin, Jinping made four suggestions to further upgrade the bilateral relations, which were responded to positively by PM Modi.”President Xi made four suggestions to further upgrade bilateral relations, namely to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust, to expand exchanges and cooperation, to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, to accommodate each other’s concerns, and finally to strengthen multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests and all of these were responded to positively by Prime Minister Modi,” said foreign secretary Vikram Misri after the meeting held on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Sunday.
Misri said that PM Modi has underlined the need for peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations. “The boundary issue also figured in the discussions. Both leaders took note of the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border regions since then. In voicing certain principles related to this issue. The Prime Minister underlined the need for peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations,” he said. Misri further added: “There was understanding on the need to maintain peace on the borders using the existing mechanisms and avoid disturbances to the overall relationship going forward.” PM Modi and Xi also recognised the role of the two economies to stabilise world trade and underlined the need to proceed from a political and strategic direction to expand bilateral trade and investment ties and reduce trade deficit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the readout.”The prime minister noted that Indiaand China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens,” it said.”The two leaders deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms,” it added.In a social media post, Modi described his talks with Xi as “fruitful”.”We reviewed the positive momentum in India-China relations since our last meeting in Kazan. We agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas and reaffirmed our commitment to cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity,” he said.In the last few months, both sides have initiated a series of measures to reset their ties that came under severe strain following the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.Modi, who landed in China last evening after a gap of seven years, said in the meeting that an atmosphere of peace and stability has been prevailing along the border since he and Xi met in October last year in the Russian city of Kazan.”Both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan in October. They reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes,” the MEA said.
