On the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for talks. Both politicians apparently initiated a restart of the difficult diplomatic relations.
Modi and Xi publicly promised to improve relations between the two countries. At the same time, they welcomed recent progress in resolving territorial disputes in the Himalayan region.
Both China and India are ancient civilizations, Xi said. Both countries are in a phase of intensive development and modernization. You should therefore stick to the principle of being “partners not competitors”. Modi called for “mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity” between the world’s two most populous nations.
Stone of contention: the disputed border area in the Himalayan regionImage: Priyanka Shanka
Border conflicts triggered a crisis
The talks between Xi and Modi took place against the backdrop of a recent agreement to monitor a remote border area in the Himalayan region that is disputed between the two countries. The rivalry between the two Asian powers is traditionally great. But clashes between their troops caused diplomatic relations to plummet.
In June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers died in a border conflict, according to agency reports. Since then, Modi and Xi have not held official direct talks – even though they met briefly on the sidelines of other international conferences.
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The now announced border agreement will enable Indian troops to resume patrols at the two main friction points, Depsang and Demchok. No details have been known yet. What is noteworthy, however, is that China did not use the word “agreement” in its report on the meeting between Modi and Xi, but spoke of “important progress in resolving relevant issues.” “Modi put forward ideas and suggestions for improving and developing bilateral relations, which Xi Jinping agreed in principle,” wrote China’s Xinhua news agency.
Beijing and New Delhi will initially focus on disengagement before implementing de-escalation and withdrawal of troops in “appropriate time,” Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said. “We will continue to work to ensure that the mechanisms of the agreement are designed to end clashes,” Misri continued.
Moscow as a mediator
Although experts welcome the discussion, they are cautious about the results. “It seems that the efforts have led to a breakthrough this time,” Alka Acharya, honorary director of the Institute for China Studies in India, told DW. However, it is now important to continue the dialogue and work towards improving relations. “The multilateral groups are also an important platform for India, which it cannot completely cede to China. And Russia is a very important partner.”
Behind the scenes, the BRICS group may have played an important role in bridging the gap between Beijing and New Delhi, Archaya continued. Russia may have provided the most important impetus. The reasons for the support are obvious: “If India and China are not able to talk to each other, it would pull the ground from under the BRICS countries’ feet. The forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would also arise a gaping hole”.
The BRICS group was originally made up of five large emerging countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It therefore represents over 40 percent of the world’s population and almost a third of the global economy. Last year the group expanded. Six new countries – Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran – joined it.
Russia as a mediator between India and China? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese head of state Xi Jinping at the BRICS meeting in Kazan, October 23rd.Image: Alexander Shcherbak/Tass/IMAGO
Impulses from Russia
While China and Russia promote the BRICS as a counterweight to the USA and the G7 states, the other members are more cautious. The member states differ significantly in their political systems: India, Brazil and South Africa are democracies, while China and Russia are autocracies. These and other differences prevent the BRICS from acting as a unified political or economic entity.
Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, points out that China faces several problems – such as economic headwinds, growing alienation from the West, uncertainty about the course of the next US president and territorial disputes the neighborhood. “Russia welcomes India and China coming together. This would allow the multipolar camp to be expanded, sanctions neutralized and dependence on the US dollar as a reserve currency reduced,” Kondapalli told DW.
Cooperation in many fields
The meeting between Modi and Xi in Kazan could pave the way for normalization in many ways, says Sujan Chinoy, head of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyzes, in an interview with DW.
“The resumption of direct flights, the elimination of the trade deficit and the expansion of visa issuance between India and China could significantly contribute to the normalization of relations,” the former diplomat continued. The BRICS group allows India and China to share a political forum with each other. This also applies with regard to the development priorities of the global south. He expects a leadership role from both Asian giants.
“In recent years, the multilateral space for cooperation between India and China has shrunk. BRICS and the SCO can help the two countries regain ground on important issues such as counter-terrorism, climate change and reform of global institutions,” said Chinoy.
Adapted from English by Kersten Knipp
