China is prepared to work with India to seek guidance from the five principles of the Panchsheel Agreement, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday as they held their first substantive bilateral meeting after the Doklam standoff, which had put ties between the two countries under strain.
According to news agency ANI, acknowledging that India and China were two of the world's "largest and emerging" countries, Xi added that a healthy and stable relationship between the two would serve the interests of the people in both countries.
China is prepared to work with India to seek guidance from the five principles of Panchsheel: Chinese Pres XI Jinping to PM Modi pic.twitter.com/JHR7P2ia9u
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2017
India and China are each other's major neighbors, we are also two of the world's largest & emerging countries: Pres Xi to PM Modi pic.twitter.com/4Auhao06RV
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2017
A healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the interests of people in both countries: President Xi Jinping to PM Modi in Xiamen pic.twitter.com/Okzxvl13Hl
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2017
#WATCH LIVE: MEA briefs the media in Xiamen #BRICS2017 https://t.co/1Tjs4p38oh
— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2017
Modi, who attended the BRICS Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue earlier in the day, met Xi on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit here.
The prime minister, accompanied by senior officials including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, met the Chinese leader just before his travel to Myanmar from this port city.
During their meeting, Modi congratulated Xi on a "very successful" BRICS Summit, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The meeting comes amid diplomatic efforts by the two sides to overcome the bitterness caused by the 73-day face-off between their troops in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector.
The Chinese and the Indian troops were engaged in a standoff since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.
On August 28, India's External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.
Indian officials had earlier indicated that the two leaders were expected to discuss ways to create confidence building measures. The sense is that both countries want to "move on" after the standoff.
Earlier, Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.