NEW DELHI: In a podcast appearance over the weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered fulsome praise to himself over foreign policy and domestic leadership achievements — with an interruption to accuse Pakistan of terrorism.

But his remarks about ties with China have enthused analysts in Beijing, who see signs of hope for improved bilateral relations ahead.

The Congress party slammed Modi’s wide-ranging conversation with American scientist Lex Fridman as a hypocritical effort to use the platform of a “right-wing ecosystem” to blow his own trumpet, while not having the courage to face a news conference at home.

Modi claimed he was equally close to the Rus­sian and Ukrainian presidents, not as a neutral leader, but as a partisan of peace.

“I have a close relationship with Russia and Ukraine alike,” he said. “I can sit with president Putin and say that this is not the time for war. And I can also tell president Zelensky, in a friendly way, that brother, regardless of how many people stand with you in the world, there will never be a resolution on the battlefield,” he said.

6China, meanwhile, found his podcast of interest, seeing value in it for improved future ties.

“Experts view Modi’s remarks as a pragmatic approach to China-India relations, acknowledging that cooperation and competition can coexist,” wrote China’s Global Times.

It noted that during the conversation, the Indian PM highlighted “the deep historical and cultural ties between China and India, stressing their shared contributions to global civilisation”.

NDTV quoted Modi as saying ‘safe things’ about China.

“The relationship between India and China isn’t something new. Both nations have ancient cultures and civilisations. Even in the modern world, they play a significant role. If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other. Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way,” he said.

Noting that two neighbouring countries are bound to have “occasional arguments”, Global Times noted the Indian premier highlighted that differences between them were also natural.

He drew parallels with the scenario of a family, saying that even within them, not all things are perfect.

“But our focus is to ensure that these differences don’t turn into disputes. That’s what we actively work toward,” the Chinese publication wrote.

It quoted Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, as saying that Mr Modi’s remarks underscore the Indian government’s current pragmatic approach to advancing China-India relations, building on the positive momentum since the Kazan summit of the leaders.

His remarks align with the broader trend of bilateral ties returning to a path of stable and healthy development, Qian said.

The expert noted that since the meeting in Kazan, China-India relations made positive strides with both sides implementing the important consensus, strengthening exchanges at all levels and practical cooperation, resulting in a series of positive outcomes.

For example, in December 2024, China and India held the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC) in New Delhi, and the two sides agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels, and safeguard sustainable peace and stability in the border areas, according to a release from Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Modi also mentioned border disputes in his conversation with Fridman.

“We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return. But of course, it will take some time, since there’s been a five-year gap.”

According to Qian, after years of standoff, the China-India border issue has returned to a stable and manageable state. Moving forward, he said, both sides may enter the next phase of negotiations, although the process could be lengthy.

The key priority is ensuring the effective implementation of existing agreements with full compliance. At the same time, both sides need to explore ways to steadily advance the resolution process beyond the current stage, said Qian.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2025