Nations seek stable ties in wake of spat

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held their first talks since defusing a border stand-off, with Mr Xi calling for stable ties.

A healthy relationship is in the fundamental interest of both nations, Mr Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday after the conclusion of a summit of Brics nations in China’s Xiamen. He called for pushing ties forward on the “right track”.

Mr Modi and Mr Xi had a “constructive” meeting in which they discussed how to improve ties and avoid letting differences turn into disputes, India’s foreign secretary S Jaishankar said.

“Where there is an area of difference, it should be handled with mutual respect and efforts should be made to find common ground,” Mr Jaishankar said. “Peace and tranquility in the border areas was a prerequisite for the further development of our relationship.”

The sit-down follows the easing of an acrimonious, months-long dispute in a remote mountainous border area in the Himalayas. The day before the meeting, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa pledged to increase economic cooperation to boost global growth.

“Both showed a conciliatory approach with an eye to stabilising the bilateral ties of the world’s two important developing countries,” said Sun Shihai, a senior researcher on China-India relations at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The dispute on the Doklam plateau had simmered since mid-June, evoking memories of a brief border war in 1962 where China emerged the victor.

The latest tensions began after a Chinese road-building party moved into territory claimed by Bhutan, and Indian troops moved into Bhutan to assist its much smaller neighbour. The face-off led to a troop build-up in the area, with barbs traded between Chinese state-owned media and Indian media.

On Aug 28, India said both sides agreed to an “expeditious disengagement” of troops. China’s foreign ministry said later India withdrew personnel and equipment from its territory, and vowed to continue exercising “sovereign rights” in the area.

The two countries represent 36% of the world’s population and account for 18% of GDP, making good trade ties of paramount important.