New Delhi: India on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the conclusion of the dinner hosted by the Indonesian President during the Bali G20 Summit last year, exchanged courtesies and spoke of the need to stabilize bilateral relations.

“During the Bali G20 Summit last year, Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping, at the conclusion of the dinner hosted by the Indonesian President, exchanged courtesies and spoke of the need to stabilize our bilateral relations,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing on Thursday.

The MEA Official Spokesperson said India has steadfastly maintained that the key to the resolution of India-China issues is to resolve the situation along the LAC on the western sector of the India-China boundary and to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Bagchi said: “I think Foreign Secretary did mention this, maybe he didn't mention the second part of it. He did talk about exchanging courtesies and I think there was a general discussion or they spoke of the need to stabilize our bilateral relationship or relations."

Meanwhile, in a stern message to China on the sidelines of the 13th BRICS National Security Advisor's (NSA) meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday, NSA Ajit Doval said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has eroded the strategic trust between the two nations.

In a meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, Doval stressed the significance of continuing efforts to thoroughly address the issue and re-establish peace in the border regions.

"During the meeting, NSA conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship," the Ministry of External Affairs stated in an official release.

"NSA emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations. The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not only for the two countries but also for the region and world," the release added.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met the Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs’ Meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday.