Ahead of Trump Unveiling, Modi reminds Xi Jinping of Special Bond
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Modi Sends Out Subtle Message to China Ahead of Trump Inauguration
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, January 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reminded Chinese President Xi Jinping of special personal bond. Modi’s anecdotal reference on Xi came during his podcast debut with stockbroker Nikhil Kamath.
“Chinese philosopher Hiuen Tsang lived the most in my village in Vadnagar in Gujarat during his stay in India,” Modi told stockbroking firm Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath in a podcast. The Prime Minister released a clipped version of the podcast on the social media platforms on Friday.
“When I became the PM in 2014, leaders from across the world made courtesy calls. President Xi Jinping also made a courtesy call in which he expressed desire to visit India,” recalled Modi.
India & China Hold Border SR Level Talk Amid ‘Sincerity’ Buzz
The Prime Minister gave a special personal touch to his conversation with Xi. Modi recalled Xi’s conversation by attributing the Chinese President addressing him as ‘tum, tumhare’, which are known to be friendly addresses in Hindi.
India and China last month held the 23rd Special Representative (SR) level talks on the management of the border dispute in Beijing. The meeting took place following the delegation level talks between Modi and Xi in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the Russian city. India and China after four years of border standoff are currently undertaking steps to disengage from the border tension in eastern Ladakh.
“Xi said that he wants to come to India,” Modi recalled his conversation with the Chinese President. He added that the Chinese President insisted on visiting Gujarat during his India visit., “I want to visit your village in Vadnagar,” Xi was quoted having told Modi.
The Prime Minister elaborated Xi’s insistence on visiting his village. “He said ‘you know why? Me and you share a special bond’. The Chinese philosopher Hiuen Tsang resided the longest in your village and when he returned to China, he resided in my village,” Modi told Kamath while quoting Xi.
Hiuen Tsang was Chinese traveller who came to India in the seventh century AD during the reign of Harsh Vardhan. He travelled to all parts of India and returned to China with voluminous Buddhist scriptures.
The special mention of Xi’s conversation has come at a time when the US President-elect Donald Trump is threatening China, India, and several other countries with tariff over his claims of unfavourable bilateral trade. China is also seen making special efforts to normalise ties with India.
India and China currently don’t have direct flights. India has made normalisation of bilateral ties to sustaining peace on border.
India’s former diplomats have warned against normalising ties with China. Soon after Xi had returned from his India visit, the Chinese army had made incursions in Doklam in 2017. Afterwards, India and China military personnel were involved in one of rare violent skirmish at Galwan in eastern Ladakh in 2020.
Former chief of the Sikkim Corps of the Indian Army Lt. gen. (Retd) K J Singh has warned in a conversation with The Raisina Hills that China can pick up the next border tension spot alongside the line of actual control with Uttarakhand in the central sector.
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