Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that PM Modi underlined the fact that cross-border terrorism impacts both India and China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of cross-border terrorism in his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier today, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday.
PM Modi underlined the fact that cross-border terrorism impacts both India and China and that it is important for the two countries to support each other in combating the issue, Misri said during a special briefing.
“Cross-border terrorism was mentioned by the Prime Minister as a priority. He did underline the fact that this is something that impacts both India and China, and that it’s important, therefore, that we extend understanding and support to each other as both of us combat cross-border terrorism,” Misri said.
“I would, in fact, like to say that we have received the understanding and cooperation of China as we have dealt with the issue of cross-border terrorism in the context of the ongoing SCO Summit,” he added.
Modi, on his first visit to China in seven years to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, met Xi for the second time since the two sides agreed last October to end a military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which began in April-May 2020. The face-off took bilateral ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.
The foreign secretary said that the India-China boundary issue was also discussed in the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier today.
During their talks, Modi underlined the need for peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations, Misri said.
“The boundary issue also figured in the discussions. Both leaders took note of the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border regions since then,” Misri said while briefing the press.
“In voicing certain principles related to this issue. The Prime Minister underlined the need for peace and tranquillity on the border areas for continued and smooth development of bilateral relations. There was understanding on the need to maintain peace on the borders using the existing mechanisms and avoid disturbances to the overall relationship going forward,” he added.
“Partners rather than rivals”
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that during their bilateral meeting, both Xi and Modi agreed that the two countries were primarily focused on their domestic development goals, and in this, they were partners rather than rivals. “It was also an element of consensus between them that a stable and amicable relationship between India and China can be to the benefit of the 2.8 billion people who live in the two countries,” he said.
“The common interests of the two countries outweigh their differences and the two leaders also shared a consensus on the fact that differences should not be allowed to be turned into disputes. It was also understood that it is critical that India and China grow and cooperate if there is to be an Asian century and a functioning multipolar world order with a multipolar Asia at its heart,” he added.
