PM Modi’s meeting with Cai is a message to anti-India baiters in China
Cai Qi is right hand man of President Xi Jinping. He rarely meets foreign visitors.
New Delhi: In the power circles of the Chinese Communist Party, he is known as the man who does not smile. Known as the right-hand man of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cai Qi is the most sought-after man by foreign diplomats in Beijing, but he is out of bounds for most. Yet, President Xi asked him to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss India-China ties, literally triggering a major diplomatic earthquake in Tianjin.
Cai, who wears multiple hats in CPC and is a feared man in Beijing, met PM Modi for over 45 minutes discussing how to normalize ties between two Asian giants. And he smiled.
Before the start of the dialogue, Cai reportedly told PM Modi that he had been tasked (by President Xi) to give lunch to him but then I was told that you are not into eating. During the entire SCO summit, Cai did not openly meet any visiting leader and was present at the PM Modi-President Xi bilateral meeting the same day.
Although nothing classified was discussed during the PM Modi-Cai meeting, the engagement has sent signals to all anti-India baiters in China, as Cai carries respect in the Communist nation. That Cai was asked to meet PM Modi by President Xi bodes well for bilateral ties that have now speeded towards normalization. Cai is the first ranking member of Secretariat of Communist Party of China and member of the Politburo standing committee but ranks do not matter, only proximity to the paramount leader does.
While the close ties between China and Pakistan are a matter of serious concern to India, New Delhi cannot hold its bilateral ties with China hostage to Pakistan engagement. It has decided to normalise ties step by step with China and move towards pre-May 2020 level with stable and tranquil border being at the centre of the relationship. This also means that India and China will be seen converging on multi-lateral/global issues like terrorism, climate change and fair trade.
Given the history of border friction between the two giants, the step towards apex-level military dialogue at the commanders' (Lt General/Major General) level will help sort out border issues without delay and also help in demarcating the non-contentious portions of the border. The bilateral meetings with President Xi and strongman Cai Qi on the sidelines of the SCO summit fuel hope of stable ties between the two countries, who were military rivals just five years ago.
