The confirmation followed the Chinese readout of the Ajit Doval-Wang Yi meeting in Johannesburg earlier this week in which it said PM Modi and Xi reached a consensus in Bali on stabilising relations.
“…We have steadfastly maintained that the key to resolution of this whole issue is to resolve the situation along the LAC on the western sector of the India-China boundary and to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas,” said ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
This was the first confirmation of talks between the leaders, while greeting each other in Bali, since the eastern Ladakh military standoff erupted in April-May 2020.
“I think foreign secretary (after the Bali meeting ) did mention, maybe he did not mention the second part of it. He did talk about exchanging courtesies and I think there was the general discussion or spoke of the need to stabilise our bilateral relationship or relations and how we see that,” said the spokesperson.
India has invited Xi for the G20 summit in September and he, according to diplomatic sources, is likely to participate. Even before that, the two leaders are likely to come face to face at the Brics summit in August. Both sides, however, have been quiet on queries related to the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the two. PM Modi and Xi didn’t have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand last year even though they participated in it.