China reaches out to India to mend sour ties amid LAC frictions

New Delhi: China has put forward the rejuvenation of ties with India, reviving bilateral dialogue and hosting the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit later this year, while the two-year-long standoff between the two nations at Ladakh has not pacified yet, The Indian Express (TIE) reported.

China has tabled a series of events to resume the bilateral dialogue with high-level visits from both sides. It has proposed an Indian visit by its State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to early March. The visit is to be reciprocated by the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Later, India is to be subjected to a series of visits by Chinese Politburo members and important officials of the Xi Jinping administration.

Further, Beijing proposed an 'India-China Civilization Dialogue' to be hosted by both countries, India-China Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum, as well as an India-China Film Forum.

But China has the ultimate aim to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the in-person BRICS summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin would also be an attendee, TIE reports. China is also looking forward to hosting the Russia-India-China trilateral leaders' summit.

According to Indian officials, the BRICS summit 2022 is a potential gap to unlock the Ladakh standoff, which requires more disengagement in certain areas at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The speculation arises from the 2017 BRICS, two months before which the Doklam standoff was pacified.

According to minister Jaishankar, the three "mutuals- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests- are the factors that determine ties.