For the first time since the deadly border standoff between China and India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came face-to-face with China’s President Xi Jinping at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Despite both countries reaching an agreement and completing troop disengagement at Patrolling Point-15 (PP-15) in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh after mutual verification days ago on September 13, India’s position has been clear. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has reiterated several times that “the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship”.
Ambassador Raghavan discusses India’s tactics and strategy, the careful planning so there would be no optics that ties could ‘return to a positive trajectory and remain sustainable, until they are based on three mutuals — mutual sensitivity, mutual respect, and mutual interest’, India’s interests in the SCO as it assumes the chair for next year, PM Modi’s bilaterals with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Delhi’s position on U.S.-led sanctions on Moscow and Tehran, India’s energy interests, the state of the re-invasion of Ukraine and its impact, Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif being present, PM Modi’s call for transit access through all SCO countries, connectivity, Chabahar, Central Asia, India’s partnership with the U.S., the Quad, the Russia-China ‘no limits partnership’ and more.
