Stable global growth, trade ties to be focus of meet, says Beijing

BEIJING: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss ways to ensure stable global development and inclusive globalisation in the face of rising protectionism and “rampant unilateralism” when they meet in Wuhan city this week, Beijing said a day after an “informal summit” between the two leaders was announced.

The two leaders will also discuss strategic and overarching issues related to bilateral ties, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a regular news briefing. “The two sides believe that the strategic and global significance of our relations have become more prominent and our

REFERRING TO TRADE PROTECTIONISM, A CHINESE OFFICIAL SAYS TWO SIDES HAVE SHARED INTEREST IN UPHOLDING INCLUSIVE GLOBAL SYSTEM

common interests far outweigh our differences,” he said.

Modi and Xi will meet at Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province during April 27-28.

The meeting is expected to strengthen bilateral ties severely impacted by last year’s military standoff at Doklam near the Sikkim border.

The meeting is being held at a time when the international situation, Lu said, is undergoing “profound changes and with prominent instabilities and uncertainties”.

Referring to trade protectionism, Lu said India and China have a common interest in upholding a more inclusive international system.

“The world is now faced with rampant unilateralism as well as rising protectionism in the process of globalisation,” he said.

“All these trends have been closely followed and debated. So against such a backdrop, Chin and India have a lot to discuss. We are newly emerging markets as well as developing countries with big populations, so we believe the two countries will continue to uphold globalisation so that it is more inclusive,” Lu said.