PM Narendra Modi to meet Xi, Myanmar military leader today; India to approach China ties with long term view
PM Narendra Modi landed in China on Saturday evening. He is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. This will be the first meeting between the 2 leaders in 7 years. Trade and economic cooperation is likely to be the most important topic of discussion during this meeting. The 2 leaders are also expected to discuss cross-border terrorism. Though not officially announced, an agreement to restore direct air services between the 2 countries is also likely to be signed.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. This is PM Modi's first visit to the country in the past 7 years. The relationship between China and India turned frosty after the 2020 Galwan clashes. The visit by PM Modi comes amidst an almost year-long effort by both sides to narrow down their differences and start with small steps like, resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and tourist visas for Indians by China.
PM Modi to hold bilateral meeting with Xi on Sunday
Reports said that PM Modi will meet China's President Xi in a bilateral meeting on Sunday. This meeting will be held on the sidelines of the SCO summit which China is hosting. Apart from this high-stakes meeting, the PM may also meet Myanmar's acting president and military chief Min Aung Hlaing.
One of the most important meetings will be between Xi and PM Modi. The 2 countries have not had good working relations since 2020, when the Galwan VValley standoff took place between the militaries of the 2 neighbours. Sources quoted by Times of India said that PM Modi would want to use the meeting as a way to take the relationship between India and China forward with a long-term and strategic perspective.
Though there is no indication that Xi and PM Modi will sign any big agreements in this meeting, the 2 sides are likely to resume direct air services. Trade and economic cooperation are likely to be the focal point of this meeting. PM Modi is likely to seek China's cooperation in critical areas like rare earths, fertilisers and equipment. China had said recently that it will lift curbs on the export of these items to India. The PM may also raise the issue of cross-border terrorism, given the recent attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 dead.
The meeting with Myanmar's ruler gains significance due to the fact that India has had limited contact with the country ever since the military took power in the country in 2021. This is however the second meeting of PM Modi with Hlaing. Both of them also met on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit this year in Thailand.
In his meeting with the Myanmar leader, PM Modi is likely to raise the issue of the need to restore democracy at the earliest. Myanmar is scheduled to hold elections in December and these are really important for India as well, because the issue of infiltration from across the Myanmar border is a major irritant for India-Myanmar ties. The main challenge however for India remains border insurgency and to help check it, the only option for the country is to maintain good ties with the rulers of Myanmar. Though Myanmar has struggled to shed its pariah status in the West, it continues to maintain good ties with both China and India.