PM Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping Hold First Bilateral Meeting Since Doklam

Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are holding bilateral talks in China's port city of Xiamen - their first since the 73-day Doklam standoff between hundreds of troops ended last week. The meeting is taking place on the sidelines the BRICS summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On Monday, President Xi greeted PM Modi with a smile and a warm handshake. In the evening, PM Modi attended a banquet hosted by Mr Xi and his wife for the BRICS leaders.

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PM Modi, while speaking at the inaugural session of the summit, sought a strong BRICS partnership to spur growth, saying the bloc of emerging economies has developed a robust framework for cooperation and contributed to stability in a world "drifting towards uncertainty".
During the meeting, which is taking place amid efforts from the two sides to leave the bitterness caused by the 73- day face-off between their troops in Doklam in the Sikkim sector, sources said the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to create confidence building measures, news agency PTI reported.
PM Modi and President Xi had met informally at the G20 summit in Germany in July, but their last bilateral talks were in June this year, when they met in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
That meeting had come amid growing differences between the two nations over a host of issues, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and China's opposition to India's efforts to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Later that month, Indian soldiers stopped China from building a road in the remote, uninhabited territory of Doklam, claimed by both China and Bhutan, resulting in a stand-off near the Sikkim border that lasted over two months.
Last Monday, the External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing had decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the Doklam area.
It was a significant diplomatic win for India on Monday as the BRICS nations, for the first time, named Pakistan-based groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network in a strongly-worded declaration condemning terror.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told news agency PTI that BRICS countries have "shown their concerns to the violent activities raised by these organisations". In a written response, the Chinese official said, "These organisations are all sanctioned by the UN Security Council and have a significant impact for Afghanistan issue." This is for the first time China has agreed to include Pakistan-based terror groups in BRICS declaration.
Apart from Mr Xi, PM Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Egypt, which is among the five counties -- Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan -- invited by China as part of 'BRICS Plus' outreach exercise. PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Michel Temer on Monday.
After the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will travel to Myanmar today on a bilateral visit. The trip includes a visit to the historic city of Bagan and Yangon. He will also interact with the Indian community in the country.