New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the much-awaited BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday. Although the ministry did mention PM Modi's planned bilateral meetings with BRICS member leaders, all eyes are on whether he will hold any separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"During his visit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan, Russia," according to the statement released by MEA on Friday.

If any meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping transpires, it would be the first time both leaders meet in person. However, both had an opportunity for brief interaction at least twice-- first, on the sidelines of the G20 summit at Bali in Indonesia in November 2022 and then during the BRICS summit at Johannesburg in South Africa in August 2023.

During the brief interactions, both agreed to step up efforts to resolve the military stand-off along the LAC. Notably, the Indian Army and People's Liberation Army or Chinese Army had a deadly scuffle on the border lines of Ladakh in June 2020. The clash led to the loss of at least 20 Indian soldiers, however, Beijing hadn't declared their exact numbers.

India-China Border Talks

It is expected that PM Modi and Chinese leaders will hold bilaterals, which would help in negotiating peace along the border regions. Despite lengthy negotiations resulting in the mutual withdrawal of troops from certain confrontation sites along the LAC, such as Galwan Valley, the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra Post, and Hot Springs, the standoff remains unresolved.

It is worth mentioning India has been advocating for peace and tranquillity along the border regions by holding military commanders-level talks, and the National Security Advisor level meetings. From the Indian side, NSA Ajit Doval met multiple times with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Separately, EAM S Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with Yi.

Both sides agreed to an early return of peace in the border regions. Conversely, China has asserted that the mutual withdrawal of troops by the PLA and the Indian Army from Patrolling Point 15 (Gogra-Hotsprings area) in September 2022 signified a return to normalcy along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Earlier this month, Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi, said the situation with China is "stable". However, he added the situation is not "normal" and dubbed it "sensitive". "The situation is stable at LAC, but not normal and it's sensitive. We will remain there till things don't become normal," said the Army chief. "As far as China is concerned, it has been intriguing our minds for quite some time. With China, you have to compete, cooperate, coexist, confront, and contest... So what's the situation today? It's stable, but it's not normal and it's sensitive," he said at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue.

Some Consensus Reached In Troops Disengagement: China

The statement from the Army Chief came days after Beijing claimed the difference between the two nuclear nations was "reduced". Also, it claimed to build "some consensus" on disengaging troops from friction points to end the standoff in eastern Ladakh. According to the Chinese Defence Ministry, both sides agreed to maintain dialogue to reach a resolution acceptable to both sides at an "early date".

Earlier on September 12, Jaishankar also echoed nearly the same statement. "Roughly 75 per cent of the disengagement problems" with China are sorted out," he said. On the issue of lingering border row in eastern Ladakh, Jaishankar underscored that the bigger issue has been the increasing militarization of the frontier.

Agencies