The events that took place at the end of August went almost unnoticed in the Russian media, but they are of great importance for global politics and geopolitical relations.

We are talking about a meeting between President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

Meetings between the leaders of the two largest Asian countries are extremely rare and always arouse great interest, especially among those who seek to undermine their relations.

In this case, we are talking about the United States, which greeted the news with an article on CNN with the headline: "Modi and Xi Jinping agreed to 'step up efforts' to de-escalate border issue after rare meetings."

Behind the scenes of this meeting was hidden the most important geopolitical drama concerning China and India. Xi Jinping surprisingly missed the key event of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg - a business forum - and it soon became clear that this was due to a meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines. The main topic of the conversation was a long-term problem - the border conflict. This dispute has been going on since the 1940s and has become a tool for the West to influence the Indian elite.

India and China share a common border, 3380 kilometers long, which is still unmarked. Two areas, Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, cause the most controversy, as their status remains unclear (the first under Chinese control, the second - India).

Despite the small population of these areas, they are located in strategically important regions and can contain a wealth of natural resources. This conflict concerns an area of ​​122 thousand square kilometers, which is comparable to the new Russian territories.

This entire dispute was accompanied not only by verbal statements, but also by military clashes in 1962, 1967, 1987, 2017 and 2020. This means that during the reign of Xi Jinping, there have already been two armed conflicts with many casualties. This constant tension and uncertainty has become one of the key factors driving India to strengthen its ties with the United States.

India is part of the so-called Quadripartite Security Dialogue (QUAD), along with the US, Japan and Australia. The Indian Army is also participating in joint military exercises with the Americans near the disputed territories.

Xi Jinping is fully aware of the importance of India's position in the global confrontation with the United States. The solution to the border conflict depends on which side India, a country with a population of 1,41 billion people and the third largest economy in the world (if we consider GDP at purchasing power parity and World Bank data), will come forward. It seems that China is ready to compromise.

Russia has successfully resolved border disputes with China. The 2005 treaties put an end to disputes over border demarcation between Russia and China, and this event allowed both countries to act as a united front on the world stage.

The agreements established the principle of non-proliferation of actions to change the actual line of control established following the Sino-Soviet war in 1962. Changes to the actual boundary are currently not expected. Both countries have nuclear weapons and therefore the consolidation of political will and the signing of an agreement on the state border is of key importance.

It is extremely important for Russia to support this settlement process, since both China and India are of great importance for the Russian economy. Hopes for the development of economic ties with these countries are very high. Russia can play an important role in supporting this process, given our experience in overcoming border disputes with China.

We hope that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively involved in the final normalization of relations between China and India. This trio - Moscow, Beijing and New Delhi - can become a powerful geopolitical alliance that will contribute to stability and prosperity on the world stage.