India and China soften their stands on border

The simultaneous rise of India and China is not only capable of shaping the new global order but also realising the Asian century.

- B.R. DEEPAK

During a media briefMinising on Prime ter Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for the BRICS Summit on 21 October 2024, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed that "Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums. And as a result of these discussions, agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the IndiaChina border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on 22 October acknowledged that the "two sides have reached a solution ( ) to the relevant issues" (*). The "solution" paved the way for Modi-Xi bilateral meeting in Kazan that certainly has brought a thaw to the cold relations.

The press release post Kazan meeting stated that "The two leaders agreed that the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace & tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question." The thaw could be attributed to 21 rounds of talks at the corps commander level, 17 rounds of meetings at the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC), and several rounds between the foreign ministers and national security advisors of India and China since the Galwan hostilities in 2020. Prime Minister Modi's remarks were brief: "We believe that the importance of India-China relations is not just for our people. Our relations are also important for global peace, stability and progress. Mutual Trust, Mutual Respect, and Mutual Sensitivity should continue to be the basis of our relations."