Modi-Xi Summit to Charter New Course for Sino-India Ties
After their first informal meeting at the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat in 2014, it’s Xi’s turn to host Modi for an informal summit.
The details of the informal summit were not disclosed, but officials said it includes walks by the two leaders in the East Lake where they will take a boat ride and walk accompanied just by their translators.
Modi will have meetings with Xi on Friday and the day after, which officials say could become a game-changer if they manage to reach consensus on finding the solution to the problems, including the way forward to resolve the boundary dispute and other vexed issues that bedevilled the ties.
Officials on both sides played down speculation of any agreement to be reached between the two leaders saying that no such thing was on the table. Modi and Xi will try to work out a general framework for relations to move ahead without much of great expectations about the outcome, Indian officials said.
Conceived on the lines of the 1988 ice-breaking visit to China undertaken by the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and his far-reaching talks with China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping setting a new tone for the relations post-1962 war, Xi-Modi dialogue at Wuhan is aimed at a working out a new paradigm for the bilateral relations for the next 15 years, they said.
The talks will focus on adhering to the principle that both countries should be sensitive to each other's concerns and aspirations, the sources said.
It is a leadership driven summit providing a leadership driven direction and a way forward to more stable bilateral ties, they added.
This will be fourth visit of Modi to China after he came to power in 2014. He is again due to visit the country to take part in the SCO summit to be held at Qingdao city from 9 to 10 June.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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PM Modi Arrives in India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to India after the two-day informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China's Wuhan. PM Modi was received by Union Minister Sushma Swaraj on his arrival.
Informal Summit A Milestone in India-China Relations: Chinese Govt
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said on Saturday the just-concluded informal summit between the leaders of China and India was a milestone in relations.
China and India have concrete differences but the summit was not aimed at addressing these specific issues, Kong told reporters in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where the meeting took place.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the problems between China and India are of a limited, temporary nature, Kong said.
PM Modi Leaves for India
China’s Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui tweeted that PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spent nine hours together and discussed a wide range of topics. The prime minister left for India after the conclusion of two-day informal summit.
Leaders Agreed Peace on Indo-China Border Important: MEA After Modi-Xi Meet
Addressing a press conference on the second-day of informal meet between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the focus of the meeting was on improving the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries.
He said both leaders underlined the importance of maintaining peace along the Indo-China border, adding that the leaders agreed to improve communication between the two foreign ministries and militaries. The Foreign Minister added that the leaders did not go into minute details, but agreed that it was important that both countries showed “maturity” in resolving issues.
The two leaders (Modi & Xi) underscored that it is important to maintain peace along India-China border region and decided that they will issue strategic guidance to their respective militaries to strengthen communication, and to build trust.Vijay Gokhle, Foreign Secretary
Gokhale added that no formal agreement was signed between the two countries during the visit.
He said that the two countries have identified 20 different mechanisms, including trade and cultural exchange, to improve ties between India and China. Among other things, the leaders reportedly discussed global issues like terrorism and climate change.
Gokhale indicated that such an informal meeting between Modi and Xi could happen again in the future, adding that there was a “level of comfort” between them which could smoothen the path to improving ties.