During the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he expressed India’s concerns about border issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to India’s foreign secretary.
The two leaders agreed to instruct their officials to intensify efforts towards expeditious disengagement and de-escalation, as stated by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.
Tensions between the two neighboring countries have persisted for over three years since the deadly clash between their soldiers on the Himalayan frontier in June 2020, resulting in 24 fatalities. While the situation along the nearly 3,000-kilometer border has been relatively calm since then, some areas still remain disputed.
During the BRICS summit, Modi emphasized India’s concerns regarding unresolved issues along the LAC to Xi, as highlighted by Kwatra. The Indian Prime Minister also underscored the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas and respecting the LAC to normalize the bilateral relationship with China.
This is the first time Modi directly addressed this issue with Xi, although India’s stance has been expressed to China through other ministers on multiple occasions.
Previously, the two leaders had interacted during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, but their discussions were limited to exchanging pleasantries and acknowledging the need to stabilize ties, as per the Indian government.
Several discussions have taken place at various levels to find a resolution to the border issues; however, a concrete solution is yet to be achieved.
Recently, military commanders from both sides held talks for five days along the Himalayan frontier in an attempt to make progress. While the talks were described as positive, there has been no official confirmation of any troop pullback on the ground.
Earlier this year, China’s foreign and defense ministers visited India for the G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Dialogue events, where they met their Indian counterparts.