This photo taken on Nov 15, 2022 shows the media center for the 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali, Indonesia. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
A much awaited handshake between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place at a G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia on Nov 15.
This is the first widely seen public handshake between the two leaders since they met in October 2019 in India’s southern coastal town, Mamallapuram, near Chennai, according to reports from Indian media.
Analysts noted the two leaders have refrained from deploring “in the strongest terms” the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, unlike many other G20 leaders in the final declaration passed on Nov 16 after a two-day summit
Replying to a question during a media briefing, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Nov 16 in Bali: “I will only say that PM Modi and President Xi Jinping who were both attending the G-20 dinner yesterday, hosted by the Indonesian President, exchanged courtesies at the conclusion of the dinner.”
Analysts noted the two leaders have refrained from deploring “in the strongest terms” the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, unlike many other G20 leaders in the final declaration passed on Nov 16 after a two-day summit. They have called for dialogue and immediate end to the conflict.
Moreover, G20 leaders echoed Modi's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Samarkand in September, stating it was "essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system”.
The brief warm handshake and exchange of pleasantries between the two leaders indicated a willingness on both sides to change the tone of their interactions.
Swaran Singh, a professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, believes this will at least ensure that Xi will attend the next G20 summit in India.
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He said the warm exchange between Xi and Modi may signal a willingness to resolve bilateral issues and engage in combined efforts to meet the G20's agenda of redressing global challenges of food and energy security, climate change.
It could also mark a revival of their informal summits in 2018 and 2019 that produced some groundbreaking results, Singh said.
The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.