Congress poses four questions to PM Modi over meet with Chinese President Xi

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning his government’s approach to bilateral ties and also the “mismatch” in walking the talk on matters pertaining to the neighbouring Asian giant.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a detailed press note, accused the Modi government of ‘calibrated capitulation’ before China.

Ramesh, also the Congress in-charge of Communications, questioned PM Modi’s 2020 remarks on India-China border skirmishes and claimed that India had given up traditional patrolling and grazing rights in parts of eastern Ladakh to China.

He asked whether the Prime Minister’s June 19, 2020 remarks that no one had entered Indian territory had weakened India’s negotiating position following the Galwan Valley clashes.

He also raised concerns over China’s purported territorial advances in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

“There have been reports of Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh, including loss of India’s access to patrolling points and fresh standoffs. China’s posture on Arunachal Pradesh has only hardened: renaming towns, reasserting claims to what it calls “South Tibet”, and pushing ahead with its 60,000-MW Medog mega-dam on the Brahmaputra’s Great Bend, a project that gives it a stranglehold over the water security of our entire northeast,” the Congress leader claimed.

Ramesh’s remarks come a day after PM Modi conveyed to the Chinese President that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains an ‘essential component’ of building better ties between the two nations.

The Congress leader further questioned the Modi govt over a “softening of position” onChina’s alleged backing of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and asked whether this was part of a strategy to change the atmospherics before hosting the Chinese President.

“On July 4, 2025, Lt. General Rahul Singh, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, had publicly spoken of the military establishment’s assessment of the deep and pivotal role of China in assisting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. But all of a sudden, on August 25, 2026, the former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan took a completely different position in a lecture at the VIF – with which the National Security Adviser has himself been closely associated,” the Congress leader contended.

Ramesh also came down on the government over India’s rising trade deficit with China.

“Why have you allowed the trade deficit with China to reach record levels? India’s trade deficit with China hit a record $112.6 billion in 2025/26, destroying large sections of our industry, especially MSMEs. The dependence on China for critical raw materials, manufacturing components and intermediates has reached dangerous levels,” he stated while also asking the government about its roadmap for bringing about a change in this unacceptable situation.

IANS