What did Modi-Xi talk about? Both sides have different versions

India and China on Friday offered divergent views to characterise the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg two days ago, even as Beijing sought to downplay the eastern Ladakh border standoff saying the boundary question does not represent the "entirety" of the bilateral relations.

In a readout on the conversation between the two leaders, the Chinese foreign ministry said President Xi Jinping conveyed to PM Modi that both sides should "bear in mind" the "overall interests" of the ties and "properly" handle the border issue.

Hours after Beijing's statement on Modi-Xi conversation claimed it was held at the Indian side's request, Indian sources said there was a "pending request" from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting, suggesting that New Delhi has not heeded to it.

"The two leaders, however, had an informal conversation in the leaders' lounge during the BRICS summit," one of the sources said.

Modi and Xi held the conversation on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg, amid continuing strain in bilateral ties in view of the lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The conversation was not a structured bilateral meeting. While India has been maintaining that there can be no normalisation of ties between the two countries without peace along the border areas, China has been arguing that the boundary issue should not hold back overall relations.

"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," the Chinese statement said.

It said the two leaders had a "candid and in-depth exchange" of views on current China-India relations and other questions of "shared interest".

"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," it said.

"The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the boundary question so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas," it added.

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday said Modi conveyed to Xi in the conversation India's concerns on the "unresolved" issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, underlining that maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas was essential for normalisation of India-China ties.

Kwatra said the two leaders also agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at "expeditious disengagement and de-escalation". However, the Chinese readout did not have any mention of this.

"The prime minister underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship," the foreign secretary said at a media briefing on Thursday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, replying to a question on Modi and Xi agreeing to intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions, said in Beijing that the "boundary question is a historical issue and does not represent the entirety of China-India relations."

"We should place it appropriately in our bilateral relations and seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement through peaceful and friendly consultations," the official said.

"Before the boundary question is settled, the two sides need to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas," the official said.

Wang said China hoped to work with India to "act on the important common understandings between the two leaders, increase strategic mutual trust, focus on our consensus and cooperation, remove disturbances and obstacles and advance the bilateral relations along a sound and stable track".

It was Modi and Xi's first interaction in public after their brief encounter on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali in November last year.

The two leaders had met briefly at a formal dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on November 16.

The ties between India and China came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border row that began in May 2020.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC were key for normalisation of overall ties.