IN THEIR first meeting in public view since the India- China border standoff began in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands and spoke to each other at the G20 peak in Bali on Tuesday.
While there was no substantial readout on their discussion — captured by the cameras at the G20 peak regale — sources said the “ Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping, who were both attending the G20 regale hosted by the Indonesian President, changed courtesies at the conclusion of the regale ”.
This was the first time the two leaders were seen interacting in public view since their last meeting in Brazil in November 2019, on the sidelines of the BRICS peak. In October 2019, Xi had visited India for an informal peak in Mahabalipuram.
In September this time, the two leaders attended the SCO peak in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, but there were no photos or statements about a meeting between them.In Bali, the handshake took place towards the end of the regale. The two leaders saluted each other as Xi walked by. They shook hands and the videotape showed a brief relaxed discussion, before the camera moved away and the transmission ended.
The regale was held at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana artistic demesne in a kindlyinformal setting. The G20 leaders watched cotillion performances as they dinedWhile there are no bilateral meetings listed with Xi, Modi will meet French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indonesian President Joao Widodo, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and leaders from Singapore, Spain, Italy for bilateral meetings on Wednesday.