Modi, Xi meet to patch up strained ties

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFER TO HOST NEXT INFORMAL SUMMIT IN INDIA IN 2019 GETS POSITIVE RESPONSE

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President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in central China yesterday as they seek to repair ties that were marred by a border dispute last year.

Xi greeted Modi at a Hubei province museum in the city of Wuhan for what has been billed as an “informal summit” that will continue today.

Modi offered to host the next informal summit with Xi Jinping in India next year, a proposal which elicited a positive response from the Chinese president.

During his delegation-level talks as part of an unprecedented informal summit with President Xi in the central Chinese city, Modi said such informal summits should become a tradition between the two countries.

“I’ll be happy, if in 2019, we can have such informal summit in India,” Modi told Xi.

On his part, President Xi said the two countries have established closer partnership and made positive progress in recent years.

“In the past five years, we have achieved a lot. We have met each other on many occasions,” he said.

The Chinese president said he believes in future and they could meet in a format like this from time to time.

“I look forward to in-depth communication with your excellency, and ensure we can build common understanding and help to take the ChinaIndia relationship to the next level,” he said.

The first informal summit between Modi and Xi in Wuhan - the favourite holiday spot of revolutionary Chinese leader Mao Zedong - is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff last year.

This is the fourth visit of Modi to China after he came to power in 2014. He is again due to visit China to take part in the SCO summit to be held at Qingdao city on June 9-10.

While last year’s high-altitude standoff in the Himalayas has been resolved, the world’s most populous countries have a long history of mistrust.

New Delhi has also raised concerns about Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, a global trade infrastructure programme that includes a major project through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, disputed territory that New Delhi claims is illegally occupied.

Xi Jinping | Chinese President

AFP (Above) Prime Minister Narendra Modi plays an instrument as Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on during their visit at Hubei Provincial museum in Wuhan, China, yesterday. (Right) Modi shaking hands with Jinping in Wuhan. The two heads of states are...