In a bid to rejuvenate India-China ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reached Wuhan (China) for an “informal” summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a pre-departure statement, Modi said he and Xi will review the developments in the India-China relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.
“I will be visiting Wuhan, China, on April 27-28, 2018, for an informal summit with Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China. President Xi and I will exchange views on a range of issues of bilateral and global importance. We will discuss our respective visions and priorities for national development, particularly in the context of current and future international situation. We will also review the developments in the India-China relations from a strategic and long-term perspective,” Modi said prior to his departure for Wuhan.
Though the two leaders have met several times in the past both in bilateral and multilateral settings, this is the first time Modi and Xi will hold an informal summit.
Sources said that this system will help the two leaders talk freely on various issues in an informal one-on-one setup without worrying much about protocols and predetermined issues. They added the meeting will not have an issue-based discussion but a strategic conversation between the two leaders to understand each other’s perspective on national and international matters.
last summer troops of the two countries were engaged in a 73-day faceoff at Doklam Plateau at India-Tibet-China tri-junction. later, the two sides agreed to increase communication and visits between them and not to allow differences lead to disputes. In Beijing, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said the two leaders will try to reach important consensus to resolve outstanding issues and build mutual trust during their talks in Wuhan.
Modi will be accompanied by the Foreign Secretary and other senior officials. Even though Modi will be again travelling to Qingdao in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in June, sources said this visit is focused only to smoothen rough edges in bilateral relations. Sources said both leaders were keen to have this kind of meeting.