PM Modi''s visit to China for 9th BRICS Summit is ''diplomatic victory'': Defense experts

Representational pic (PTI)

New Delhi: Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s China visit for the ninth BRICS Summit next week as a "diplomatic victory," the defense experts, on Wednesday, said that this visit will not only be graceful and charming for India, but also pave way for a meeting between the former and President Xi Jinping, after the India-China tensions following the Doklam standoff.

While speaking to ANI, defense expert P.K. Sehgal said that the patience Indian government and the media showed in handling China was remarkable and impressed the entire world."India had abundantly clear, through diplomatic channels to China that if the Doklam standoff continue, it may not be possible for the Indian Prime Minister to participate, which would have been a debacle in a catastrophe for China. This has been an absolutely amazing diplomatic victory, where the Indian Prime Minister goes, with his head held high and with a skyrocketing image of India. The patience that the Indian government and the Indian media showed was remarkable, something that impressed the entire world," he said.

Adding, "China, on the other hand, looked like a laughing stock. What they did was something that looked foolish and immature, particularly for a nation that claims to be one of the oldest civilizations of world. To that extent, it`s a huge victory for India. We have to be graceful and charming to ensure that there is no undue embarrassment to our host, the Chinese."

Former diplomat Nagendra Nath Jha further told ANI that India should again try to have a strong anti-terrorism resolution adopted, which was not supported by China in the eighth BRICS Summit, hosted in Panaji, Goa.

"In the last summit in Goa, India had tried to, very understandably, have a strong anti-terrorism resolution adopted. China then thought, its targeting their ally Pakistan and hence did not support it. Hence, they passed a general resolution," he said, adding, "This time, we might try that depending on the atmosphere there. But most important would be Mr. Modi`s meeting with XI Jinping. We just have to careful about that. The economic situation will be discussed."

At the invitation of the President of China Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China`s Fujian province during September 3-5 to attend the ninth BRICS Summit, said a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement on Tuesday.

This comes a day after India and China agreed to end their over two-month-long stand-off in the Doklam Plateau by reaching an understanding not to let their long standing differences become disputes.

P.K. Sehgal, during his interaction with ANI brought in the example of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri`s death in Tashkent and alerted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s security should be a major concern.

"The Prime Minister`s security will also have to be absolutely first rate. We cannot forget what happened to Lal Bahadur Shastri at the peak of the time, when he attained total ascendency over Pakistan. We must not allow the history to repeat itself," he said.

Former Prime Minister Shastri, as per official data, died of a heart attack in Tashkent, hours after signing a peace agreement with the then Pakistani President Ayub Khan.Shahstri and Khan were in Tashkent to sign a peace accord - only four months after the end of the second war between the two neighbours.

However, in 2009, claims were made that the former Indian Prime Minister was possibly poisoned.