Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia.
Both the leaders exchanged pleasantries at the high-profile dinner. Notably, this is the first handshake since China’s Peoples Liberation Army and the Indian Army’s standoff in eastern Ladakh in April 2020.
The relations between India and China soured following a standoff in April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger Area, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June.
In June 2020, the two armies were engaged in a violent clash that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least three Chinese troops. PM Modi and Xi exchanged greetings at the G20 dinner.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for improving connectivity at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, he maintained a safe distance from Xi Jinping.
PM Modi and President Jinping shared the world stage for the first time after clashes in the Galwan Valley. The tension along the Indo-China border was evident from the distance that the two leaders maintained from each other at the summit.
