Agencies
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in South Africa attending the 15th 15th BRICS Summit, was spotted having a brief conversation with China’s Premier Xi Jinping, on the side lines of the leaders’ press conference, according to reports.
According to news agency ANI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen brief conversation with Xi Jinping before the conference began of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit.
The brief conversation between the two leaders seems like an interesting development in the backdrop of the famously estranged relationship between the two countries following the Eastern Ladakh standoff, that began in 2020 and has failed to reach a solution despite repeated talks among various ranks.
The interactions also comes a year after Prime Minister Modi had chanced upon Xi at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia.
During the meet at G20, both PM Modi and China’s Premier Xi Jinping had exchanged pleasantries during dinner which made national headlines in hope of a positive development concerning the Eastern Ladakh Galwan Valley conflict.
The G20 meet handshake between both the leaders was a first time interaction since the standoff between China’s Peoples Liberation Army and the Indian forces in eastern Ladakh in April 2020.
India and China have been in a stand-off situation for the last three years and relations at all levels have deteriorated due to tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two sides have held 19 rounds of talks so far to address the boundary issues in eastern Ladakh since 2020, post the Chinese aggression there.
