Modi, Xi did not have bilateral meeting at G20 summit: China

BEIJING: China on Monday sought to play down a brief conversation Indian Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping had on the sidelines of the recent G20 summit, saying the two “did not have a bilateral meeting”.

Technically, China is correct but the fact is the Indian side didn’t claim the two leaders held a bilateral meeting, which is usually a structured and previously agreed engagement.

“I can tell you there was no bilateral meet between President Xi and Prime Minster (PM) Modi in Germany,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a regular media briefing when asked about the meeting. The conversation between the two leaders at an informal gathering of BRICS leaders on the margins of the G20 Summit in Hamburg on July 7 lasted about five minutes and made headlines. It came against the backdrop of a tense standoff between troops of the two countries along India’s northeastern frontier. China’s denial of something that didn’t happen is being seen as yet another attempt by Beijing to make its displeasure known over the face-off in Donglang or Doklam region. “According to my information, the two leaders did not hold any bilateral meeting (on the sidelines of the G20 summit),” Geng said, adding Xi chaired the informal meeting of BRICS leaders that was attended by Modi and others. Repeatedly denying the bilateral meeting, Geng also didn’t mention the conversation the two leaders had.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay had on July 7 tweeted a photo of the two leaders smiling and shaking hands.