MODI, XI WILL GUIDE ARMIES TO AVERT ANOTHER DOKLAM

WUHAN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on Saturday pledged to keep the India-China border quiet and personally guide their respective armies to avert a Doklam-like military stand-off in future as the two wrapped up their twoday informal summit in this Chinese city. India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the icebreaking meetings between Modi and Xi will have a “positive impact” on a number of thorny issues. “The two leaders underscored that it is important to maintain peace along the India-China border region and decided that they will issue strategic guidance to their respective militaries to strengthen communications and build trust and understanding,” Gokhale said briefing the media on the six rounds of talks between Modi and Xi in two days. Modi and Jinping spent nine hours together during the course of their informal summit here on Friday and Saturday, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said. Significantly, China on Saturday said it won’t push India hard if it has issues joining Beijing’s multibillion dollar Belt and Road project. “We feel that there is no fundamental difference between China and India on the issue of supporting inter-connectivity,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said. “India is a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It is the second largest shareholder of our region. As for whether India accepts the expression Belt and Road, I think it is not important and China will not be too hard on it,” he said. Sources said that India and China also agreed on a joint economic project in Afghanistan.