BackNarendra Modi, Xi Jinping meeting soon? China refuses to comment
China has said that the disengagement of troops in Ladakh is a 'positive signal'.
PremiumChina on September 9 refused to comment on a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan next week. But, it has said the disengagement troops in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh will send a "positive signal" to improve the strained bilateral ties.
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As India and China stated on September 8 that their forces would be leaving Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings region of eastern Ladakh, speculation is rampant about the meeting between Modi and Xi.
When asked if India and China are in contact with a potential Modi-Xi meeting outside of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will take place in Samarkand from September 15 to 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "I have no information to offer at this moment."
Eight nations make up the SCO, which has its headquarters in Beijing: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.
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India and China are significant SCO participants. Both agree that Uzbekistan should serve as the summit's rotating chair in 2022. "We hope for the greater development of the organisation," she said.
Mao commented on the disengagement announcement by both sides, saying the agreement was the result of numerous rounds of talks between both military and diplomatic levels and is conducive to peace along border areas.
On September 9, the Chinese military confirmed that the troops of China and India have begun the process of disengaging from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh in a "coordinated and planned way."
India has constantly argued that the stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is necessary for the growth of bilateral relations in general. The standoff at the eastern Ladakh border started on May 5, 2020, after a bloody altercation in the Pangong lake regions.
(With PTI inputs)
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