India on Friday refuted China’s claim that the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg happened at New Delhi’s request. In an official statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “President Xi Jinping talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at the latter’s request on August 23, 2023”.

According to news agency ANI, Indian government sources said that “there was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting” between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi.

Giving details about the discussions that happened during PM Modi and President Jinping’s meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views and stressed the need to improve bilateral relations for the peace and stability of the world and region.

“Two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest and President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region,” the statement read.

PM Modi presses President Jinping on unresolved LAC issues

After the conclusion of the 15^th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South America, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that PM Modi had a brief conversation with President Jinping. During the conversation, PM Modi highlighted India’s concerns about the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border.

PM Modi told the Chinese President that respecting the Line of Actual Control was essential for normalisation of India-China bilateral relations.

“The two leaders agreed to direct relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” the foreign secretary added.

TV visuals showed the two leaders indulged in what looked like a brief and informal interaction. The conversation between Modi and Xi took place soon after member countries agreed to allow the expansion of BRICS. The grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa invited Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia to join as new members.