In light of Prime Minister Modi’s brief interaction with Chinese Premier XI Jinping at the sidelines of the 15th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) meeting, government sources have refuted Beijing’s claims about the proposed meeting between PM Modi and Xi Jinping.
What did China say?
Recently a Chinese readout said both leaders had a frank and detailed conversation about the state of India-China relations and on matters of common interests.
The statement of Xi-Jinping also emphasized that the improvement of relations between India and China will work for the fulfillment of shared interests and will be good for the development & stability of the world.
Read More: BRICS Summit 2024: Modi and Jinping’s Brief Interaction
Chinese foreign ministry quoting Xi also opined
“The two sides should bear in mind the interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border,”
Image credit: Bloomberg.com
Conversation at the 15th BRICS Summit
According to ANI, the Prime Minister was recently seen engaging in a brief interaction with Xi Jinping before the conference commenced. This is the second meeting after the last informal interaction at the last G20 summit held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022. Which was the first interaction after the deadly Galwan clash of May 2020.
Image credit- Twitter
PM Modi discussed India’s concerns regarding non-resolution of LAC (Line of Actual Control) issues.
As revealed by foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra to India today, the PM also emphasized peace & tranquility in border areas and observance & respect for the LAC are needed for bringing the relations between the two countries back to normal.
What were the points which were recently debunked by India
In the backdrop of a brief interaction between the two leaders of China and India during BRICS held in South Africa.
India has debunked some of the points regarding the proposed bilateral meeting between the heads of two Asian giant economies.
Sources close to the government said that the meeting between both countries wasn’t conducted at Delhi’s insistence, rather it was China who requested the bilateral meeting.
According to India Today quoting government sources said
“There was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting. The two leaders, however, had an informal conservation in the leaders’ lounge during the BRICS Summit,” – Sources
They also asserted that all interactions of importance and meetings are decided through diplomatic channels and there is no confirmed information on these requests.
What is BRICS?
BRICS began as a group of four countries in the mid-2000s. Its first summit leaders summit was held in Russia in 2009. South Africa joined the group in the year 2010. Its original acronym BRIC or BRICS was first given by Jim O Neill to provide a description of the fastest-growing economies that can dominate the global economy by 2050.
Its 15th 3-day summit is recently being held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Six more countries Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Argentina, and Ethiopia are going to join BRICS and will become its members starting 1st January 2024 according to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Read More: BRICS Invites Saudi Arabia and 5 New Members
The bone of contention between India and China regarding the BRICS expansion
According to experts, it is rumored that China is pushing for the granting of membership to countries who have a Westernised view of the world, and even before the commencement of the summit, Chinese officials opined that BRICS should rival the G7 group.
While India hasn’t opposed BRICS membership expansion, India also insists on the rules and procedures that will govern which countries can join the grouping.
Rumored names like Cuba, Bolivia, Algeria, and Indonesia might be among the other 20 names who have applied for membership in BRICS according to Mint.
