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In a significant development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, their first meeting in more than five years after the two countries reached a breakthrough in their four-year-long military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“I can that there will be a bilateral meeting held between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping tomorrow, 23rd of October on the sidelines of the , on the sidelines of the BRICS summit,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during a special press briefing on PM Modi’s visit to Russia’s Kazan on Tuesday.
The meeting was scheduled at a significant time as India and China reached an agreement on patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. China on Tuesday also confirmed that it has reached an agreement with India to end the standoff between the two armies in eastern Ladakh.
A timeline of PM Modi-Xi Jinping meetings
1. July 15-16, 2022
Soon after PM Modi assumed office as the Indian Prime Minister in 2014, he held his first meeting with Xi Jinping ahead of the BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil in the hopes that India’s ties with China enter a new phase under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. China said the meeting had “significant strategic importance”.
2. September 17, 2014
PM Modi held bilateral talks with Xi Jinping during the Chinese President’s state visit to India on September 2014, touted as a significant milestone in the development of bilateral relations between the two neighbours. Xi was the first Chinese leader in six decades to receive a pompous welcome in New Delhi. Both sides signed numerous agreements aimed at increasing cooperation in connectivity, trade, civil nuclear energy and more.
3. May 14, 2015
Less than a year after Xi’s visit to India, PM Modi embarked on a three-day visit to China on May 14, 2015 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. He was hosted by Xi Jinping at his hometown in Xian. The two leaders held wide-ranging talks on improving bilateral relations and the border dispute as well as on enhancing military ties and strengthening their developmental partnership.
4. July 8, 2015
Prime Minister Modi and Xi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summits in Ufa, Russia. PM Modi also conveyed his concerns over China’s decision to block UN action against Pakistan over the release of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being built through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
5. June 23, 2016
PM Modi met Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on July 23, 2016. Xi welcomed India’s accession to the SCO and the Indian PM thanked the Chinese President for supporting the Indian membership. The two leaders also discussed India’s application to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which China has repeatedly opposed.
6. September 4, 2016
The two leaders next met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China at a time when bilateral relations witnessed a decline due to Beijing blocking UN action against Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and stalling India’s membership at the NSG. PM Modi raised the issue of terrorism coming from Pakistan and said the two countries should “respect each other’s aspirations, concerns and strategic interests”.
7. October 15, 2016
A month after the G2o Summit, the two leaders met during the BRICS Summit in Goa and held “fruitful” discussions on boosting bilateral trade and investment, terrorism and India’s bid for NSG membership. “Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organizations will not only be futile but also counter-productive,” said Modi during the BRICS Plenary Session.
8. June 9, 2017
PM Modi and Xi held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 2017 amid a deepening strain in ties over Beijing blocking New Delhi’s bid to join the elite NSG. PM Modi asserted that both sides should tap the potential in strengthening communication and respect each other’s core concerns. India and Pakistan formally joined the SCO bloc during that summit.
9. July 7, 2017
Less than a month later, Modi and Xi had an informal meeting during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany after a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the disputed border territory of Doklam in Sikkim. Both leaders held a conversation on a “range of issues”, as per the Ministry of External Affairs, and praised the role of India and China in international affairs. China had earlier said the “atmosphere was not right” for a formal meeting between the two.
10. September 5, 2017
Modi next met Xi Jinping for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China after the 72-day Doklam standoff was resolved. The meeting was framed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as “forward-looking conversation” aimed at promoting peace and tranquility in border areas.
11. April 26, 2018
Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi displayed their bonhomie again during a two-day informal summit in Wuhan in 2018. The two leaders engaged in a boat ride and held wide-ranging conversations over bilateral ties, terrorism and trade. They also issued “strategic guidance” to their respective militaries to strengthen communication in order to build trust and mutual understanding in the management of border affairs.
12. June 9, 2018
In their second meeting in less than six weeks, Modi and Xi reviewed overall bilateral cooperation between India and China on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Qindao, China. In his opening remarks, Modi said that strong and stable relations between India and China can inspire a stable and peaceful world.
13. November 30, 2018
PM Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, where the Indian leader said 2018 was a good year for India-China relations.
14. June 13, 2019
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral relations. The meeting took place after the BJP clinched a massive victory in the 17th Lok Sabha elections in 2019, paving the way for Modi’s second term.
15. June 27, 2019
PM Modi held a trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. Modi hosted Xi and Putin for an informal RIC (Russia-India-China) meeting, where they discussed issues like counter-terrorism, international hot-spot issues, reformed multilateralism.
16. October 11, 2019
The two leaders met again during the second informal summit in Mamallapuram, Chennai on October 2019, which was their last bilateral meeting. The two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views in a friendly atmosphere on overarching, long-term and strategic issues of global and regional importance, as per the MEA, and reiterated their understanding that efforts will continue to be made to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas.
17. November 13, 2019
They also met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Brasilia, Brazil in 2019, where Xi invited Modi for the third informal summit in China in 2020. The leaders reviewed preparations for celebrating the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2020.
18. November 15, 2022
The Indian Prime Minister exchanged pleasantries with Xi and held a brief conversation at a dinner hosted by the Indonesian President for the G20 leaders during the 2022 Summit.
19. August 22, 2023
PM Modi and Xi Jinping also had a brief and informal conversation in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in April last year.
(with inputs from agencies)
