Will BRICS summit stoke behind-the-scenes talks on China-India border dispute?
Next month’s meetings may offer a chance for low-profile get-together between leaders of China and India amid row over a Himalayan region
The leaders of China and India are expected to meet on the sidelines of an emerging markets summit next month, but simmering border tensions mean the talks will be low key, observers say.
The BRICS summit – involving leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5 could give President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a chance for some behind-the-scenes interaction amid the two countries’ bitter dispute over the Doklam region in the Himalayas.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, an aide to former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said he expected Modi to take part in the summit despite speculation that lower-ranking officials would be sent instead. Modi’s absence would send a negative signal to the three other BRICS members, he said.
“Moreover, Modi going to Xiamen will give both him and Chinese President Xi Jinping a much-needed opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion on the border issue, on the sidelines of the main summit,” he said.
Manoranjan Mohanty, former chairman of the New Delhi-based Institute of Chinese Studies, agreed that Modi would probably attend the summit. “Scaling down representation will show that India will leave it to China to shape the BRICS agenda,” he said.
But Mohanty said that even if the leaders met, it might not result in any major progress or agreement in the border dispute.
“[Both] sides are likely to underplay the talks in view of their respective government’s strong public postures,” he said.
