Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to India, his first in seven years following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, carried considerable strategic, economic, and geopolitical weight. The summit saw notable moments of interaction between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including Modi's concern for Xi's comfort during the BRICS Summit and a symbolic handshake near the Ramanathswamy temple's pillar corridor, a location echoing their 2019 meeting. While Xi's absence from a hosted dinner sparked curiosity, the core of their bilateral talks revolved around the persistent border dispute, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas as a prerequisite for the continued development of their relationship and preventing differences from escalating into outright disputes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to India, his first in seven years following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, carried considerable strategic, economic, and geopolitical weight. The summit saw notable moments of interaction between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including Modi's concern for Xi's comfort during the BRICS Summit and a symbolic handshake near the Ramanathswamy temple's pillar corridor, a location echoing their 2019 meeting. While Xi's absence from a hosted dinner sparked curiosity, the core of their bilateral talks revolved around the persistent border dispute, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas as a prerequisite for the continued development of their relationship and preventing differences from escalating into outright disputes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to India, his first in seven years following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, carried considerable strategic, economic, and geopolitical weight. The summit saw notable moments of interaction between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including Modi's concern for Xi's comfort during the BRICS Summit and a symbolic handshake near the Ramanathswamy temple's pillar corridor, a location echoing their 2019 meeting. While Xi's absence from a hosted dinner sparked curiosity, the core of their bilateral talks revolved around the persistent border dispute, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas as a prerequisite for the continued development of their relationship and preventing differences from escalating into outright disputes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash carries profound strategic, economic, and geopolitical significance. Though his visit was short, it provided several moments of camaraderie between the two leaders, given the improving India-China ties that remained tense due to border disputes. 

Key Xi-Modi moments during the summit:  

Reportedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke from his opening remarks at the BRICS Summit after noticing Xi seemingly appeared uncomfortable. The PM paused and turned toward Xi after a commotion caught his attention. 

"Is he okay?" PM Modi asked the translator accompanying the Chinese president, the media reports said. 

After a few seconds, Xi nodded in response, following which PM Modi resumed his speech. 

The moment was captured in the footage shared by Doordarshan. The brief incident occurred between the 4.40 and 5.11-minute mark of PM Modi's opening remarks.

Xi skipped gala dinner hosted by PM Modi

Though Xi attended bilateral talks with PM Modi, his absence at the dinner sparked intrigue and curiosity. While there was no official statement from either country, sources said that Xi was tired after a long flight and returned to his hotel to rest. 

Chinese president left China early Saturday morning and reached Delhi around noon as the summit began around 2 pm. 

Viral Modi-Xi moments near iconic pillar corridor from TN's Ramanathswamy temple  

As two leaders shook hands in front of a projection showing the iconic 1,212-pillar corridor from Tamil Nadu's Ramanathswamy temple. PM Modi was then seen explaining to Xi the significance and the architecture of the corridor.

During Xi's last visit to India, both leaders had met in Tamil Nadu in 2019. Following it, the border dispute in eastern Ladakh and a subsequent clash between soldiers of the two nations in Galwan took place. 

Border dispute remained the key focus

During the bilateral meeting, the two leaders affirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term view of their ties and that "differences should not become disputes". 

As per the Indian readout, PM Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remained an "essential basis" for the continued development of bilateral relations.

The Chinese readout said the countries should seek "parallel, mutually reinforcing progress" on the two fronts while maintaining peace on the border. 

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