Modi-xi summit to forge cooperative partnership
BOOST TO TIES: Talks between two leaders to focus on free trade pact and cooperation between India and China
NEW DELHI: As Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to India on Friday for his 2nd informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, official media said their meeting would focus more on how to move beyond the historical and present differences to forge a cooperative partnership.
Xi is scheduled to leave Beijing for Chennai early Friday and reach there by late noon to be in time with his 2nd informal meeting with Modi at the nearby picturesque Mamallapuram tourist centre.
About the summit, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui told the media on Wednesday that officials of both sides have made meticulous preparations for the summit through close interactions.
“Now the solid ground has been laid. With the joint efforts of the two sides President Xi’s visit to India will be a full success and set the tone and direction for further growth of bilateral ties and lead to new progress and fruitful results in exchange of cooperation between the two sides,” he said. “Since it is an informal meeting, the two leaders will have a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere to have free exchange of views without fixed topics,” he added.
Also no agreements were expected to be signed.
Starting from Friday evening, Modi and Xi were expected to have several meetings, mostly accompanied just by their translators to discuss the way forward for the Sino-india ties which faced numerous headwinds specially over Beijing’s backing to Pakistan’s shrilled campaign against India over the revocation of the Article 370, removing the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
While Luo struck a highly positive note, a surprisingly candid editorial in the state-run China Daily on Thursday said it remains to be seen what the two leaders can accomplish in the next two days.
“The belated official announcement of Xi’s visits to the country’s two South Asian neighbours, (India and Nepal) only 48 hours ahead of the informal meeting, was proof that Beijing and New Delhi cherish the opportunity to improve bilateral ties through the personal chemistry between their top leaders,” the editorial said.
“That both Beijing and New Delhi announced the meeting will take place, squashed the earlier speculation that the two leaders would postpone any meeting and sent the reassuring message that they want nothing to get in the way of constructive engagement,” it said.
“Xi’s meeting with Modi in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Friday and Saturday is expected to focus more on the two countries’ historical and present differences, and how to move beyond them to realise their cooperation potential,” it said.
“While it remains to be seen what Xi and Modi can accomplish in Chennai, the potential of greater bilateral engagement certainly supports a relationship that is far more positive than one that is just stable,” it added.
China this week appeared to have softened its stand on Kashmir, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang while replying to a question on the issue omitted references to UN and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.