Peace in border areas essential for normal bilateral ties with China: PM Modi

Amid a bitter standoff with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi contended that peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for “normal bilateral ties with China”.

He said this ahead of his official state visit to the United States on Tuesday. “We have a core belief in respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes. At the same time, India is fully prepared and committed to protecting its sovereignty and dignity,” said PM Modi in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

India and the US relationships with China have grown increasingly fraught in recent years, marked by deepening military and economic rivalries.

For India, that challenge is at its doorstep, with rising tensions centering around its decades-long dispute with Beijing over the 2,000-mile border separating the two countries, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

China has been building infrastructure and deploying more troops in the region since a deadly 2020 clash at locations along the Sino-Indian border.

Indian officials have blamed China for violating border agreements, and the two countries have held 18 rounds of military talks since 2020 aimed at preventing the dispute from spiraling into wider conflict.

PM Modi embarks on US visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for his historic visit to the United States this morning from Delhi. The visit is seen as a turning point for bilateral relations, with deeper cooperation in the defence industry and sharing high technology in sharp focus.

This will be PM Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the US during his nine-year-long reign as prime minister.

In Washington this week, Prime Minister Modi is expected to complete deals to manufacture jet-fighter engines in India to power advanced light combat aircraft, and to purchase high-altitude armed Predator drones from the US in a multibillion-dollar agreement to boost surveillance efforts over the Indian Ocean and near its disputed border with China.