Bali, Nov 16 (Agency) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday shook hands and exchanged courtesies at the conclusion of the G20 dinner hosted by the Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Notably, this was the first handshake between the Xi and Modi since the April 2020 standoff between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army began in Eastern Ladakh. The lingering border standoff in Eastern Ladakh has entered in its third year. Both the leaders have come here to take part in the annual G20 Leaders’ Summit aimed at deliberating upon key issues of global concern including challenges posed by Covid19 under the Summit theme of ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’.
China and India have had 16 round of Corps Commander Level talks to resolve the differences in Eastern Ladakh, however, the areas that still remain to be resolved are Demchok and Depsang where the Chinese have remained adamant. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar had, last month, said that “peace and tranquility in the border areas clearly remains the basis for normal relations between India and China” and that “new normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses”.India has time and again said that the continuation of the current impasse will not benefit either India or China. Adding to the already strained ties between the two countries, China has, in the recent past, repeatedly came in defence of Pakistan based dreaded terrorists blocking India’s bids to blacklist them at the UN.