Jakarta, CNNIIndonesia —
President China Xi Jinping shook hands with the prime minister India Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a high-level conference gala dinner (Summit) G20 Bali, Tuesday (11/15).
The meeting was in the spotlight because relations between China and India were tense. The two countries have not held a bilateral meeting since 2020.
In a video streamed live on the presidential secretariat’s Youtube channel, it all started when Modi was sitting in a chair. Someone then approached him and said something to him.
On the other hand, Xi Jinping and his wife were seen chatting and shaking hands with the president Jokowi. In the video, Xi appears to be aware of Modi’s presence nearby.
Modi then approached Xi Jinping and struck up a conversation with him. The two are then clearly seen shaking hands.
President Jokowi was also seen near Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping when this moment happened.
In fact, the G20 summit was not the first event that brought Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping directly together. The pair attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022.
However, the two leaders were not seen shaking hands during the forum.
 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a dinner at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday (11/15). Photo: (YouTube Presidential Secretariat Screenshot) |
In recent years, Indo-Chinese relations have not been cordial. In 2020, clashes took place between troops from New Delhi and troops from Beijing in the Galwan Valley, east of Ladakh, India.
News based NDTV On Tuesday (15/11), 20 Indian soldiers were killed and more than 40 Beijing soldiers died or were injured as a result of the clashes.
The India-China dispute is also increasingly visible in the Indian Ocean. In late July, New Delhi launched an aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, aimed at silencing Beijing in these waters.
Beijing also seemed concerned. Chinese state media, the Global Times, even published comments from observers that the aircraft carrier was only medium-sized. Meanwhile, Beijing’s aircraft carrier, Liaoning, is building up a sizeable fleet.
(isa/chri)
