PM Modi, Xi Jinping ‘met’ first time since Ladakh tension: This is what happened

Since the beginning of the border stalemate in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have never really met. On September 16, Modi and Xi attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), but there was little indication of a sign of bilateral relations, which were severely strained after the battle in Galwan Valley almost 27 months ago.

Modi and Xi did not meet in person on a bilateral basis even though the two leaders shared the stage while standing by each other. On the other hand, Modi met separately with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit.

Also Read: Want to bid? E-auction starts for 1,200 gifts presented to PM Modi

Modi and Xi are not said to have shaken hands or said hello to each other at the summit. During a briefing for the media, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra stated that all of the bilateral meetings that had been planned and for which requests had been made occurred on time. When asked about a meeting that never happened, he responded that he did not "think there is anything more to read into that”.

PM Modi’s bilateral meeting with Russian President Putin at the SCO summit received a lot of attention. The two leaders shared the customary diplomatic greetings, with Modi specifically emphasising that the modern era was not a time of war. According to reports, Putin acknowledged India's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and reaffirmed his commitment to a speedy resolution.

Indian and Chinese soldiers began their withdrawal from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings region of eastern Ladakh, the Chinese military confirmed on September 9. The fourth round of disengagement between the two armies The development supported calm in the areas close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

A meeting between Modi and Xi has been suggested as a result of the pullout. Xi congratulated India on taking the SCO leadership. He declared that China, together with the other SCO members, would support India during its SCO presidency.

(With PTI inputs)