'China requested for bilateral meeting': India denies China's claim that New Delhi requested for Modi-Xi meet

Amid a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson that the country's President Xi Jinping talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latter's request, Indian government sources have clarified that it was China who requested the talks with PM Modi.

“There was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting with the Indian side. PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, had an informal conversation in the Leaders' Lounge during the BRICS Summit in South Africa,” a source from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, as per an India Today report.

China on Thursday released a statement President Xi Jinping talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at the latter’s request on August 23, 2023.

"The two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest," the statement read.

"President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region. The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border region," the statement further added.

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday said PM Modi conveyed to Xi Jinping India's concerns on the "unresolved" issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, underlining that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas was essential for normalisation of India-China ties.

Kwatra stated PM Modi and President Xi agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at "expeditious disengagement and de-escalation".

The ties between India and China came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border row that began in May, 2020.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC were key for normalisation of overall ties.

(With inputs from Geeta Mohan)