Chennai Connect: Modi, Xi talk trade, closer ties
India, China build on big takeaways from the Wuhan spirit
MAMALLAPURAM: India and China on Saturday unveiled a new highlevel mechanism to address trade-related concerns and boost commerce after an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to consolidate strategic communications on issues ranging from defence to counterterrorism.
The Kashmir issue, the subject of a testy exchange between the two sides in the run-up to the second informal summit between the two leaders in the seaside resort in Tamil Nadu’s Mamallapuram, wasn’t raised or discussed, according to foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale.
The first informal summit, held in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, had helped reset ties after the military face-off at Doklam in 2017, and Modi spoke about the “Chennai Connect” from the Mamallapuram summit marking a new era of cooperation between India and China.
Modi and Xi spent close to six hours in one-on-one conversations since the Chinese President arrived in Chennai on Friday, including 90 minutes of discussions on Saturday, and people familiar with the developments said the discussions focused on consolidating the strategic communications and guidance that had been a key outcome of the Wuhan summit.
Xi endorsed the idea of continuing with the informal summits and invited Modi to China for the next edition in 2020. Modi, who accepted the invitation, said in his opening remarks at the delegation-level talks that the Wuhan summit led to “increased stability and fresh momentum” in relations.
“We had decided that we will prudently manage our differences, and not allow them to become