Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping vow to resolve border differences at Brics summit

Leaders met for the first time in five years as New Delhi and Beijing complete disengagement process along disputed Himalayan frontier

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday agreed to resolve differences between the two nations and increase co-operation, as they met for the first time since a deadly border standoff in 2020 that strained ties.

The leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the two-day Brics summit in Russia's Kazan is being seen as a major breakthrough in thawing relations between the nuclear-armed nations, which have fought a major war and seen endless confrontations along their long un-demarcated border known as Line of Actual Control.

The two countries on Monday said they had reached a deal to allow border patrolling operations in both countries to resume, completing a disengagement process along the disputed Himalayan borders.

At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died during the confrontation four years ago, which involved clubs and stones being used as weapons along the high-altitude disputed Himalayan border in the northern Ladakh region. The standoff escalated into a diplomatic and military showdown between the regional powers, with both sides moving thousands of soldiers to the region.

Mr Xi and Mr Modi last met when the Chinese leader visited India at the Prime Minister's invitation in 2019.

However, they exchanged pleasantries during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in 2022 and in Johannesburg, South Africa a year later.

Wednesday's meeting lasted for about 15 minutes, and the two leaders spoke about strengthening bilateral ties, with Mr Modi highlighting that cordial relations between the two Asian neighbours will help bring regional and global peace and stability.

“We believe that India-China ties are not only significant for our people, but also for global peace, stability and progress,” Mr Modi said.

“We welcome the consensus on the border conflict. It should be our priority to maintain peace and stability on the border. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should be the basis of our relations."

Mr Xi reiterated enhancing co-operation with New Delhi to promote multi-polarisation and unity of developing countries as he said their historic meeting was being followed by citizens of both nations.

“It best serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples for both sides to keep to the trend of history and the right direction of our bilateral relations. It is important for both sides for more communication and properly handle our differences cooperation and disagreements, and to facilitate each other’s pursuit of development aspirations,” Mr Xi said.

“It is also important for both sides to shoulder our international responsibility, set an example for boosting the strength and unity of the developing countries, and to contribute to promoting multi-polarisation and democracy in international relations."

The Brics summit in Russia is one of the biggest gatherings of global leaders to be held amid the war in Gaza and the years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Brics is an alliance the initially included five emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The intergovernmental organisation admitted four new members, the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran, after a decision to expand was made at the Brics summit in Johannesburg in August last year. Together the Brics countries now account for about 37.3 per cent of the world's GDP, according to the European Parliament, or more than double the EU's 14.5 per cent.

But the main highlight has been resolving the hostilities between India and China, which comprise nearly one-third of the world’s population and are major economic powerhouses.

The countries share a nearly 4,000km border known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that crosses the Himalayas from the Ladakh region in the north to the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Both countries have been making territorial claims and counterclaims, including China’s claim on India’s northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state which Beijing says is part of China’s Tibet region.

However, the deadly events in 2020 have led to acrimony between the two countries, with military experts claiming that China had occupied vast portions of the demarcated frontier in the strategic Ladakh region.

Over the years senior military commanders and Foreign Ministry officials from both sides had held nearly 30 rounds of high-level talks but without significant progress, until Monday when India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that India and China have arrived at a patrolling arrangement along the LAC.

He said that the arrangement can lead to disengagement and resolution of tension that began with clashes in May 2020.

The troops had completed disengagement from a key standoff point in the disputed Himalayan Eastern Ladakh region in 2022, but the Chinese forces still blocked access to traditional patrolling areas of Indian forces in the Depsang Plains and Charding Nala regions on the LAC.

Depsang Plains is a tabletop plateau located at an altitude of 4,800 metres.

The Chinese also erected tents on the Indian-administered side of Charding Nala in Demchok. Beijing has constantly refused to accept that the areas are part of Indian territory.