Modi & Xi Meet on BRICS Sidelines

First genuine in-depth meeting since 2019

The highly anticipated and important talks between Modi and Xi have occurred with excellent results as reported by numerous media outlets. While the RT report is positive the one provided by Global Times is deeper and tells readers why the results are critical. Instead of paraphrasing what the latter report says, I’ll let it speak for itself and explain why Modi seems to have ceased sitting on a pointy picket fence and put India’s fundamental interests first:

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Wednesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit. Chinese analysts said the meeting has strategic significance as the recovery of China-India relations serves not only the interests of both countries, but also the multi-polarization of the world order.

During his meeting with Modi in Kazan, Russia, Xi urged China and India to facilitate each other's pursuit of development aspirations. Xi said the two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, properly manage differences and disagreements, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

This is the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders since 2019, when they met bilaterally in the southern Indian city of Chennai at the second informal India-China summit. The first informal meeting between the two leaders took place in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, in April 2018. In 2023, Xi also had talks with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa at the latter's request.

Lin Minwang, a deputy director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the meeting shows that China-India relations are now on the track of recovery, as the two sides have reached resolutions on issues concerning the border area, so the obstacle that has blocked the recovery of bilateral ties has been removed.

"Over a recent period of time, China and India have reached resolutions on issues concerning the border area following close communication through diplomatic and military channels. China commends the progress made and will continue working with India for the sound implementation of these resolutions," said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the meeting proves that this international organization formed by emerging economies is an important platform and channel for major countries to coordinate with each other on sensitive issues with diplomacy, to fix damaged ties and to reach consensus.

The world is entering a period of multi-polarization, and emerging economies like China and India are crucial players in this process, so if they can properly manage differences and boost mutual trust and unity, they could bring significant changes to improve or reform the international order that is facing the impact of Western-dominated unilateralism and US hegemony, Li noted. 

Lin Minwang said that Indian policymakers and decision-makers have realized that they had made a mistake in the past four years in decoupling from China and trying to get support from the US, and now they need to correct this mistake. 

"India's policy that aims at decoupling from China has failed to attract meaningful support from the US-led West to help 'Made in India' and the country's modernization and industrialization. This proves that India can't profit from being hostile to or decoupling from China, and it is even making it difficult for India to realize its own development," Lin Minwang said.

But this is just the economic reason, a key reason is that the Modi administration may have found that the US is very uncertain and unreliable, as US foreign policy may see a U-turn after the presidential election in November, so India must take action first to minimize the risks, experts said. 

Li echoed that India's concerns are not just caused by the US election, but also by the unhappy memories between India and the West in recent years. The Modi administration has found that the US and its allies cannot offer India much meaningful support, so now that India has tension with Canada, Washington will not side with New Delhi. This means that Modi may finally realize that it is unwise for India to completely side with the US in this game of great powers.

Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow with the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Modi is signaling that he wishes to stabilize and normalize India's ties with China, but apart from issues over the border, there are still many uncertainties, challenges and problems. 

Chinese experts are calling for India to facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and fix other relevant policies, so the Indian government can instill confidence and trust among Chinese firms and people that they can invest in India. [My Emphasis] 

The RT report provides a little more substance from the Indian side:

During the meeting with Xi, Modi welcomed the “agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues” stemming from 2020, New Delhi said in a statement. The Indian leader also underscored the importance of “properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquility.”  

Xi stated that the two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation, and properly manage differences and disagreements, the Xinhua news agency reported. “It is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples of China and India to correctly grasp the trend of history and the direction of development of their relations,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. [Emphasis Original]

The pragmatic solution to the longstanding border issue that was used by the Outlaw US Empire as leverage to promote a wedge between India and China nullifies that leverage and eliminates the wedge. India wants its Made in India program to expand, and it can certainly use Chinese investment. Now work can proceed on dealing with the issue of Kashmir and Pakistani relations, which are far more problematic than those with China. Neither India or Pakistan can afford their current levels of military spending, and India also needs to deal with its Eastern neighbors who are undergoing destabilization by the Outlaw US Empire. India would also benefit from joining ASEAN.

It will take time to heal India-China relations. We’ll see how effective Modi is on those within India who remain onside with the Empire. And we’ll see how well China can help India in its relations with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

There’s a great deal happening at Kazan. The main BRICS meeting awaits the completion of its transcript so it can be translated and published. Hopefully that will occur soon. The meeting was divided into a restricted and expanded format, the first being over 3-hours, the second almost two hours. The evening sessions would be happening now. There’re many developments that are being reported piecemeal. And details of the many bilateral meetings won’t be revealed until the pressers at the Summit’s close.

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