Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Thursday and the two have agreed to direct their officials to intensify efforts at disengagement and de-escalation.

This was disclosed by foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra while briefing the media in Johannesburg late in the evening as the Prime Minister was wrapping up his three-day visit to the city. There was no immediate word from the Chinese side on this interaction.

Stating that the Prime Minister had interactions with BRICS leaders on the sidelines, the foreign secretary added: "In a conversation with President Xi Jinping of China, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border areas.

"The Prime Minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship. In this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation."

While no photograph was released of this conversation, Xi and Modi were seen interacting briefly earlier in the day when the five BRICS leaders appeared on the stage for the joint statement.