In their first one-on-one meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about finding a resolution to the long-standing boundary dispute between the Asian neighbors, a goal that has eluded the two countries for decades.
In talks lasting 80 minutes, Mr. Modi told Mr. Xi that “it is necessary to resolve the boundary question,” Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, said in a televised interview after the meeting in Brazil on the sidelines of a summit of BRICS countries. Pending that, Mr. Modi said, “peace and tranquility need to be maintained on the border,” according to Mr. Akbaruddin.
Mr. Xi called for “negotiated solutions” to the dispute at an early date, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. He also said the two countries “should join hands in setting global rules so as to raise the voice of developing countries,” Xinhua said.
China has reached out to the new Indian administration, led by Mr. Modi, at a time when its ties with other Asian countries including Japan and the Philippines have soured over territorial disputes. The Chinese foreign minister visited New Delhi last month, and Beijing’s premier was the first foreign leader to talk to Mr. Modi after his swearing-in as prime minister earlier this year, following national elections.
Ties between India and China have long been characterized by mistrust, and the sentiment appears to linger. More than seven in 10 Indians are concerned that territorial disputes between China and its neighbors will lead to military conflict, according a Pew Research Center survey published Monday.
Nearly half of all Indians think China’s growing economy is a bad thing for their country, and only 31% of Indians had a favorable view of China, the survey showed. By comparison, 55% of Indians had a favorable view of the U.S. and 43% had a favorable view of Japan.
Tensions between India and China boiled over into a brief war in 1962, following which China gained control of a 14,600-square-mile territory known as Aksai Chin. China claims another 35,000 square miles in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in India’s northeast. Relations worsened last year when India alleged that Chinese troops had crossed into Indian-held territory in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, triggering a weekslong standoff.
On the campaign trail during national elections earlier this year, Mr. Modi promised to be tough on security issues. In a speech in February he warned China against having an “expansionist mindset.” In Mr. Modi’s first few weeks in office, his government has taken steps to boost infrastructure and connectivity on the Chinese border.
Mr. Modi’s China policy remains unclear, as does his ability and willingness to negotiate a border settlement, a process that has gone on for three decades. Special representatives appointed to work out a solution have so far held 17 rounds of talks.
The two countries signed an agreement last October aimed at easing hostilities on the disputed and ill-defined border, known as the Line of Actual Control, including commitments to ensure that patrols don’t escalate into military confrontations. But the agreement failed to impress security analysts in India, who said it was little more than a statement of intentions.
India is also worried about China’s growing influence in South Asia where New Delhi sees itself as the regional power. Mr. Modi has moved to revitalize India’s neighborhood ties, inviting South Asian leaders to his swearing-in and choosing Bhutan for his first foreign visit. The government is also pushing to close India’s $40 billion trade deficit with China.
via In First Meeting, Modi and Xi Discuss Decades-Long Border Disputes – India Real Time – WSJ.
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