Modi, Xi sign off with pledge to ease strain
WUHAN SUMMIT India, China to exercise restraint on border, work together in Afghanistan
WUHAN : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on Saturday agreed on steps aimed at strengthening communications and building trust between the militaries of India and China, a move aimed at effectively managing differences on the border and averting a Doklam-like stand-off.
At the end of their first informal summit in this central Chinese city, the two leaders also reached an agreement on jointly implementing an economic project in war-torn Afghanistan — a clear indication of their desire to play a larger role in shaping the regional security scenario.
At separate briefings after the summit, neither foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale nor Chinese vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou mentioned last year’s Doklam standoff, but it was clear the two leaders favoured strategic restraint along the 3,488-km border and did not want a repeat of the face-off that sent ties plummeting.
Modi and Xi met six times since Friday afternoon, four of which were one-on-one sessions, with officials describing it as a meeting of equals. There were also acknowledgements that the two sides were prepared to deal with differences and each other’s concerns.
The two leaders issued a “strategic guidance to their…militaries to strengthen communica- tion in order to build trust and mutual understanding and enhance predictability and effectiveness in the management of border affairs”, an Indian statement said. WUHAN: The scenic East Lake of Wuhan was the setting for most of the six meetings PM Narendra Modi had with Chinese president Xi Jinping within a span of 24 hours. On Saturday, it was the park next to the lake where the two leaders first went for a walk before taking a boat ride.
A special Chinese tea-making ceremony was arranged on the boat, where experts explained the history and culture of tea drinking in China to Modi. The two leaders also talked about movies, and at one point, Xi mentioned to Modi that he had seen a number of Bollywood and regional Indian movies.
“The beauty of the ‘informal’ summit between Xi and Modi is that it comes with no baggage, only expectations,” China Daily newspaper said in an editorial.