Express News Service
NEW DELHI: India on Friday countered China’s claim that the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg took place at New Delhi’s request.
“There was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting. The two leaders, however, had an informal conversation in the leaders’ lounge during the BRICS Summit,’’ said a source.
The Indian version came after the Chinese foreign ministry issued a readout of the conversation, stating they met on India’s request, adding the talks were in-depth and candid.
“President Xi Jinping spoke with PM Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at India’s request. An in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest took place. President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interest of the two countries and peoples and is conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region,’’ stated the Chinese statement.
“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 tranquillity in the border region,’’ the statement noted.
On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said, “On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Modi in a conversation with President Xi Jinping, highlighted his concerns on the unresolved issues on the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border.”
“PM Modi underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the Indo-China relationship. In this regard the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” Kwatara said.
Prime Minister Modi and President Xi held the conversation on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg. The conversation was not a structured bilateral meeting and was an informal one. The two leaders were also seen shaking hands and exchanging courtesies after the joint conference of the BRICS leaders.
NEW DELHI: India on Friday countered China’s claim that the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg took place at New Delhi’s request.
“There was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting. The two leaders, however, had an informal conversation in the leaders’ lounge during the BRICS Summit,’’ said a source.
The Indian version came after the Chinese foreign ministry issued a readout of the conversation, stating they met on India’s request, adding the talks were in-depth and candid.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“President Xi Jinping spoke with PM Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at India’s request. An in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest took place. President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interest of the two countries and peoples and is conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region,’’ stated the Chinese statement.
“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 tranquillity in the border region,’’ the statement noted.
On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said, “On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Modi in a conversation with President Xi Jinping, highlighted his concerns on the unresolved issues on the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border.”
“PM Modi underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the Indo-China relationship. In this regard the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” Kwatara said.
Prime Minister Modi and President Xi held the conversation on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg. The conversation was not a structured bilateral meeting and was an informal one. The two leaders were also seen shaking hands and exchanging courtesies after the joint conference of the BRICS leaders.
