Kazan, Oct 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

The meeting marks the first formal structured interaction between the two leaders in five years and follows the two countries reaching an agreement on resuming regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

PM Modi's last formal bilateral meet with Xi Jinping was in October 2019 in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu months before the June 2020 clashes in Galwan that led to a military standoff. The two leaders met briefly during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in 2022 and then in Johannesburg, South Africa (2023).

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on October 21 that an agreement had been reached regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told media persons that the agreement "is the outcome of extensive discussions over the past several weeks with Chinese interlocutors at both diplomatic and military levels."

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, in a regular press briefing, said, "We have reached a resolution on the relevant matter, will work with the Indian side to implement the resolution. We are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels."

The highly-anticipated meeting between PM Modi and President Xi is a pivotal moment in India-China relations.

The border standoff between India and China began in eastern Ladakh along the LAC in 2020, sparked by Chinese military actions. This incident led to prolonged tensions between the two nations, significantly straining their relations.

Earlier, both PM Modi and Xi Jinping participated in the closed Plenary session of the BRICS 2024 Summit. PM Modi emphasised on the need for a people-centric approach to solving global challenges and called for reformed multilateralism.

PM Modi called upon BRICS to proactively push for global governance reforms. Recalling the Voice of Global South Summits hosted by India during its G-20 Presidency, he stressed that the group must give primacy to the concerns of the Global South. PM noted that the regional presence of the New Development Bank including in GIFT city, India, has created new values and impacts.

Highlighting BRICS' activities to foster economic growth, he emphasized that its efforts on trade facilitation in agriculture, resilient supply chains, e-commerce and Special Economic Zones have generated new opportunities. He underlined the need to prioritise small and medium scale industries. He expressed that the BRICS Startup Forum initiated by India, which is to be launched this year, would add significant value to the BRICS economic agenda.

Prime Minister Modi also congratulated President Putin for successfully hosting the 16th BRICS Summit and conveyed wishes to Brazil as it takes over the presidency of the group. At the conclusion of the Summit, the leaders adopted the 'Kazan Declaration'.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that it is important to build a BRICS committed to green development that promotes sustainable development. China is willing to expand cooperation with BRICS countries in green industries, clean energy and green mining, and promote green development through the entire industrial chain. (ANI)

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