Modi, Putin and Xi huddle at Bishkek, discuss trade

New Delhi: The leaders of Russia, India and China (RIC) held a brief, warm huddle in Bishkek on Tuesday before the pre-summit leaders' photo session, mirroring their previous interaction at the Tianjin Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit hosted by China last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were seen walking towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who warmly greeted both the leaders.

Modi and Xi engaged in a brief conversation at the SCO summit venue ahead of the Chinese President's India trip for the BRICS summit on September 12-13. The two leaders are expected to hold a substantive meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Delhi, according to people familiar with the matter.


The Modi-Xi meeting here may result in certain concrete outcomes as the two sides seek to rebuild economic partnership and keep Line of Actual Control (LAC) stable, said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

On the agenda are easing the process of approvals for Chinese investments in non-strategic sectors, ET had reported last week. Xi last visited India in 2019 for the second informal summit, but ties plummeted in less than a year following the clashes between Indian and Chinese forces in Galwan in eastern Ladakh. India's national security advisor Ajit Doval recently visited Beijing to help shape LAC management plans crucial for improving wider bilateral ties.

India and China have agreed to two additional meeting points for holding the General-Level Mechanism or the Senior Highest Military-Commander meeting with the objective of improving border management measures.

Two additional channels of border military hotline in the eastern and middle sectors were also agreed as part of the "eight points of outcomes and consensus" reached during the 25th round of talks between the special representatives of India and China on the boundary issue.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Modi, heaped praises on the PM. Putin said that Russia-India relations are growing stronger, largely thanks to the Indian PM's close attention to their development.

"I would also like to note with satisfaction that Russian-Indian relations continue strengthening on the principles of especially privileged strategic partnership. This is facilitated by your personal attention to the development of Russian-Indian relations as well as our relationship, which is not just business, but also very warm and friendly," Putin said. "And I am very thankful to you for that."