India-China border tension fallout: No birthday greetings for Xi Jinping from PM Narendra Modi

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In what can be construed as a sign of deterioration in relations following the standoff between armed forces of the two countries, PM Narendra Modi did not extend birthday wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a gesture he has shown since 2016 despite the upheavals in bilateral ties.

Xi, who turned 67 on June 15, has already taken a step toward a "retirement extension”.

The decision is being attributed to the ongoing border tensions. Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night.

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It is the biggest confrontation since the 1967 clashes in Nathu La.

Modi's first birthday greeting to Xi came at a time when China was opposing India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a report in The Telegraph said.

Modi had wished his Chinese counterpart even in 2017 when his birthday fell a day before the standoff took place in the Doklam region.

Read our complete coverage on the India-China border tension.