During a weekly media briefing on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, stated that at the conclusion of the dinner hosted by the Indonesian President during the Bali G20 Summit last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged courtesies and discussed the importance of stabilizing bilateral relations.
The MEA Official Spokesperson reiterated India's stance that resolving India-China issues hinges on addressing the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of the India-China boundary and restoring peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Bagchi clarified that while Foreign Secretary mentioned the exchange of courtesies, there was also a general discussion about the need to stabilize bilateral relations.
In a firm message to China during the 13th BRICS National Security Advisor's (NSA) meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday, NSA Ajit Doval expressed concern that the situation along the LAC had eroded strategic trust between the two nations. In his meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, Doval emphasized the significance of continuous efforts to comprehensively address the issue and restore peace in the border regions.
According to an official release by the Ministry of External Affairs, during the meeting, NSA Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC since 2020 had eroded strategic trust and undermined the public and political basis of the relationship. He stressed the importance of working towards a full resolution and restoring peace and tranquility in the border areas to promote normalcy in bilateral relations. Both sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship holds significance not only for the two countries but also for the region and the world.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with Wang Yi, Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission, on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs' Meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
