As he reiterated the significance China attaches to a dragon-elephant tango, at a time the world is seeing “once-in-a-century” transformations, President Xi Jinping made 4 suggestions from a strategic and long-term perspective to build a steady and healthy relationship in his meeting with PM Narendra Modi. These included deepening strategic communication and mutual trust, expanding exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefits and win-win results, accommodating each other’s concerns and strengthening multilateral cooperation to safeguard common interests. While talking about accommodating concerns though, Xi reiterated China’s long-held position – stressed repeatedly during the eastern Ladakh military standoff – that India and China should not allow the border issue to define the overall China-India relationship. This latest assertion of the Chinese position that development of the relationship be ring-fenced from the border issue will likely see India treading cautiously in its efforts to normalise the relationship with China. Responding to the Chinese readout of Xi’s remarks, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said PM Narendra Modi had made it very clear that the boundary situation will have an impact on bilateral relations. “I would just say that we have been stating this from the beginning, and, on different levels, that the situation on the boundary will have an impact on bilateral relations in certain ways. Because of this, the insurance policy for bilateral relations is to maintain peace and tranquility on the boundary. So, even the Prime Minister has made this very clear,” said the foreign secretary. According to the Indian readout too, Modi underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations. During the standoff that lasted for well over 4 years, India had maintained that there would not be business as usual until the border issue was resolved. However, the border issue was not a deal-breaker in the meeting that Modi described as fruitful. Xi also said India and China should work together to maintain border peace and tranquility and agreed with Modi that there has been peace and stability in the border areas since their meeting in Kazan last year. Xi told Modi an elephant-dragon dance is the right choice for both countries, while describing the global situation as both chaotic and fluid. “We are the world’s two most populous countries, and we are also, equally, members of the Global South. We both shoulder the historical responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and promoting the progress of human society,” said Xi in his opening remarks in the meeting. “It is the right choice for both of us to be friends, to have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” he added. Unlike the Indian statement, the Chinese readout made no direct mention of trade or terrorism but it quoted Xi as saying that the relationship will flourish as long as the 2 countries act as partners and not rivals. While Modi said a stable India-China relationship is important for both multipolar world and multipolar Asia, Xi only mentioned multipolar world while underlining the need to work together. On Sunday, Modi also had a separate meeting with Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, and a powerful political ally of Xi. According to Indian authorities, Modi shared with Cai his vision for bilateral relations and sought his support to realise the vision of the 2 leaders. Cai reiterated the Chinese side’s desire to expand bilateral exchanges and further improve relations in line with the consensus reached between the two leaders, said the government.
