Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. This marks Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. The meeting comes as part of ongoing efforts to stabilize diplomatic relations following the 2020 Ladakh crisis, which strained ties between the two nations.
Xi last visited India in 2019, months before the military confrontation in eastern Ladakh pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point in decades.
China, meanwhile, has called for greater communication and mutual trust. India has repeatedly stressed that the border situation will determine the broader relationship. The gap between political engagement and economic relations remains another major challenge.
At an August meeting in Beijing, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said the improvement in relations was directly linked to maintaining peace along the border. “The normalcy we have witnessed in our relationship has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas,” Doval said, according to PTI . Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries should “be good friends that enjoy good neighbourliness and be good partners that contribute to each other’s success”, PTI reported. India has not publicly provided details of the reported tensions, while China’s foreign ministry said on August 13 that the “border situation is generally stable at the moment”. Both sides have agreed to continue using diplomatic and military channels to “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation”. “The state of the border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on August 12. India has reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “inalienable and integral part of India”, after Beijing objected to India’s decision to standardise names for 27 locations in the state. A Reuters analysis from this month said businesses in both countries continue to face hurdles involving investment approvals, visas and restrictions on industrial equipment.
