This Week in Explainers: Why thaw in India-China ties will benefit both sides

It was a diplomatically fruitful week for India. New Delhi reached a deal with Beijing that could pave the way for a thaw in ties between the two Asian giants.

Days after the neighbouring countries reached an agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first in five years, on the sidelines of the Brics Summit in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan in Russia.

Besides China, Germany also featured in Indian diplomacy this week. New Delhi hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is looking to reduce his country’s reliance on China. Berlin is banking on India to achieve that goal.

Here’s all this and more in this weekly roundup of stories from India.

1. India and China reached a pact on “patrolling arrangements” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. “We reached an agreement on patrolling and with that the disengagement that we have gone back to where the situation was in 2020 and we can say… with that the disengagement process with China has been completed,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

The agreement, a result of several rounds of military and diplomatic talks, comes four years after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that deteriorated India and China’s relations. New Delhi maintained that ties with Beijing cannot return to normal until disengagement and de-escalation are complete.

Now that a deal has been agreed upon, what changes will happen and what will stay the same? We explain in this report .

2. The patrolling agreement cleared the path for the much-anticipated bilateral meeting between PM Modi and China’s Xi. The talks took place in Russia where the two leaders had gathered for the Brics Summit.

Both leaders agreed that India and China can have “peaceful and stable” ties by displaying maturity and mutual respect. The meeting was many years in the making. While Modi and Xi have participated in several multilateral forums since the 2020 Galwan clash, the duo last held formal talks in 2019. Here’s our explainer on why a reset in India-China ties is a win-win for both countries.

3. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in India for a three-day visit to boost bilateral strategic ties including defence, trade and clean energy. His visit comes amid Germany’s struggling economy. Berlin is not only looking to ‘de-risk’ from China but also attract skilled Indians to offset its shrinking labour force.

This was Scholz’s third visit to India after a bilateral visit last February and a trip to attend the G20 Summit in September 2023. Experts say India and Germany’s relationship has witnessed a sea change. Cultivating closer ties with Berlin is also beneficial for India. Read our story on the topic.

4. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu’s chief ministers have called for the couples in their respective states to have more children, sparking a conversation about population control. While Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu’s remarks come in the context of the state’s ageing population, his Tamil Nadu counterpart expressed worry about the impending delimitation exercise that could put southern states at a disadvantage in the Lok Sabha.

Naidu voiced concerns over the “demographic crisis” that Andhra Pradesh could witness in the future. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin made similar comments and urged people in the state to have more kids. But does more population mean more say in the Lok Sabha? We explain in this report .

5. The details of Ratan Naval Tata’s will have come to light. The industrialist passed away on October 9 at the age of 86 in Mumbai. In his will, the former Tata Group chairperson portioned his assets to his half-sisters, Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy, his brother Jimmy Tata, his butler, and his assistant Shantanu Naidu.

Tata’s pet dog, Tito, has also found a mention in his will. Earlier the names of the executors of his will had surfaced. Senior lawyer Darius Khambata, Mehli Mistry and Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy have been tasked with carrying out the late entrepreneur’s final wishes. Here’s our story on the contents of Ratan Tata’s will.

6. The head of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), India’s top medical body, has reportedly batted for legalising sex determination tests. IMA president Dr RV Asokan has argued that the ban on prenatal gender determination has not significantly impacted the country’s skewed sex ratio.

Prenatal gender determination and sex-selective abortions are illegal in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act. The law was introduced to prevent gender-based abortions. Then why does the IMA chief want changes in the legislation? Read our explainer to know more.

7. Like every year, it is hard to breathe in Delhi currently. Even before Diwali, the air quality has deteriorated with a layer of haze surrounding the National Capital these days. Firecrackers are banned in the city due to the alarming pollution levels.

Delhi grapples with the issue of bad air quality during winter months. While the winter is yet to come, air pollution is already here. We explain in our report what is behind this.

This is all we have for you this week. If you like the way we explain things, you can bookmark this page.