Mamallapuram decks up for Modi-Xi informal summit

CHENNAI: The second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is yet to be officially announced, but the Tamil Nadu government is going ahead with preparations for the talks it expects to host in Mamallapuram, a coastal resort town and 7th century heritage site 56 kilometres from Chennai..

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam visited Mamallapuram and inspected the arrangements being made for the summit, including security details, officials said. Top officials and police brass accompanied the two leaders.

A Chinese delegation has already landed in the town to coordinate the preparations with the Indian hosts.

Renowned for its iconic rockcut temples and stone sculptures, Mamallapuram had been among the towns shortlisted to host the informal summit expected to take place from October 11 to 13. It has not yet been officially confirmed as the venue.

The second informal summit is expected to build on the momentum in India-China ties created by the first such meet in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April last year. The talks between Modi and Xi had helped place bilateral relations on an even keel after the 73-day military stand-off at Doklam in 2017.

Modi, in his address at the India Singapore Hackathon in Chennai last month, had advised the student participants not to miss the opportunity to visit the UNESCO heritage site.