 "‘No history of conflicts:’ PM Modi bats for strong Indo-China ties, recalls meeting with Xi")
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need to have dialogues to prevent differences from turning into disputes, referring to New Delhi’s longstanding border crisis with Beijing. He also added that discords and differences were natural among neighbours.
PM Modi made these remarks in a podcast with American podcaster Lex Fridman, which was released on Sunday (March 16).
The Indian PM hoped that ties with China will get back on track owing to the “trust, enthusiasm and energy” in bilateral ties but acknowledged there was a “five-year gap” due to border tensions.
He added that normalcy had returned to the Indo-Tibet border after his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“In 2020, the incidents along the border created significant tensions between our countries. However, after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020,” said the PM.
When Modi met Xi
PM Modi met with Xi in Russia’s Kazan last year on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the first in more than five years.
Both leaders backed the India-China agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, directing officials to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that occasional disagreements were inevitable, even within a family.
“Our relationship should remain just as strong in future and it should continue to grow. Differences are natural when two neighbouring countries exist. Not everything is perfect. Instead of discord, we emphasise dialogue because only through dialogue can we build a stable and cooperative relationship that serves the best interests of both nations," he said.
“It is true that there have been ongoing border disputes between us. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return. But of course, it will take some time, since there’s been a five-year gap,” he added.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts‘No real history of conflicts’
PM Modi further asserted that there was no “real history of conflicts” between the two great civilisations.
“Both nations have ancient cultures and civilisations. For centuries, India and China have learnt from each other and understood one another. Together they have always contributed to global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point, India and China alone accounted for 50 per cent of GDP. That’s how massive India’s contribution was,” he said.
Context
Relations between the two Asian giants worsened following a four-year military standoff that began in May 2020 when Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley.
On October 21 last year, India announced a breakthrough agreement with China on patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, marking a significant step toward resolving the standoff.
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