China mum on Modi-Xi meet, calls disengagement of troops 'positive signal'

China refused to comment on a possible meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan next week

China on Friday refused to comment on a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan next week, but said the disengagement troops in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh will send a "positive signal" to improve the strained bilateral ties.

"I have no information to offer at this moment," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing here when asked whether India and China are in communication about a possible Modi-Xi meeting on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in Samarkand on September 15 to 16.

China and India are important members of SCO. Both support Uzbekistan as rotating chair for this year's summit. "We hope for the greater development of the organisation," she said.

Speculation is rife about the meeting between Modi and Xi as India and China on Thursday announced the disengagement of their troops from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh in a "coordinated and planned way."

The Beijing-headquartered SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

The Chinese military on Friday confirmed that the troops of China and India have begun the process of disengagement from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh in a "coordinated and planned way."

Commenting on the disengagement announcement by both sides Mao said the agreement was the outcome of multiple rounds of talks between both military and diplomatic levels and is conducive to peace and tranquillity along border areas.

"We believe the disengagement will be a positive progress and is conducive to peace and tranquility in the border areas, and China also hopes to work with India to uphold peace and stability," she said.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were important for the overall development of bilateral ties.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.