PM Modi, Xi Jinping shake hands first time since Eastern Ladakh clash

Notably, this was the first handshake between Xi and Modi since the April 2020 standoff between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army began in Eastern Ladakh.

The lingering border standoff in Eastern Ladakh has entered its third year.

Both the leaders have come here to take part in the annual G20 Leaders' Summit aimed at deliberating upon key issues of global concern including challenges posed by Covid19 under the Summit theme of 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger'.

China and India have had 16 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the differences in Eastern Ladakh, however, the areas that still remain to be resolved are Demchok and Depsang where the Chinese have remained adamant.

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar had, last month, said that "peace and tranquillity in the border areas clearly remain the basis for normal relations between India and China" and that "new normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses".

India has time and again said that the continuation of the current impasse will not benefit either India or China.

Adding to the already strained ties between the two countries, China has, in the recent past, repeatedly come in defence of Pakistan, blocking India's bids to blacklist the Islamic country's dreaded terrorists at the UN.