Doklam stand-off: Atmosphere not right for Xi-Modi talks at G20, says China

Amid an ongoing stand-off between the Indian and Chinese armies in the Sikkim section, Modi and Xi will be in Germany for the G20 Summit. The Chinese Army attempted to build a road at Doklam near the Bhutan tri-junction which lead to a stand-off with the Indian Army.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (PTI Photo. Files)

The atmosphere is not right for a bilateral meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the upcoming G20 summit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said ahead of the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

Amid an ongoing standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies in the Sikkim section, Modi and Jinping will be in Germany for the summit talks. According to a PTI report, Indian sources in New Delhi said a meeting of BRICS leaders will take place on the sidelines of G20 summit tomorrow which is expected to have the presence of, among others, Modi and Xi, suggesting that there was no bilateral meeting between the two leaders scheduled in Hamburg.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang expressed hope that “India can immediately withdraw the border troops the Indian side of the boundary to uphold the peace and tranquillity of the China and India border areas”. “I think this is the pre-condition for any meaningful peace talks between the two sides,” he told a media briefing in Beijing when asked about the meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit. He, however, said that the BRICS leaders meeting which will
be attended by Modi and Xi will take place on the sidelines of the summit tomorrow.

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Earlier this month, the Chinese Army attempted to build a road at Doklam near the Bhutan tri-junction which lead to the current impasse. State-owned Chinese media, considered to be the mouthpiece of the government, published provocative articles in the past few days, stating that India will suffer “greater losses” than it did in 1962 if it “incites” border tensions with China.

The G20 Summit 2017 is due to be held in Hamburg, Germany, from July 7 to 8. This will be the twelfth meeting of the G20 countries.

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