Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold an informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from April 27 to 28 in Wuhan, the capital of the central province of Hubei.
The plan for this informal summit materialized after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing Sunday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meet.
Wang described Modi-Xi meeting as a “new starting point” in the relationship. The engagement will also mean back-to-back visits for Modi to China as he is scheduled to travel to the country again in June for the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summit.
“The meeting in Wuhan flows from the understanding reached by the two leaders last year that India-China relations are a factor for stability in a period of global changes. Both leaders will also discuss their respective national developmental priorities and explore the future direction of the multifaceted engagement between the two countries with a view to strengthen their Closer Developmental Partnership,” Sushma Swaraj said.
The upcoming meeting has attracted great attention from the two countries and the international community.
The Wuhan summit could be as significant as the one between former premier Rajiv Gandhi and then leader of China Deng Xiaoping in 1988, the Chinese media commented.
The Buddhists’ spiritual head, the Dalai Lama has also expressed his happiness at this meeting.
“I think it is really good that they are meeting. They have to live side-by-side, so it is better to live as a family,” said the Dalai Lama to ANI news agency.
“When the two leaders meet, they will have strategic communication on the most profound and unprecedented changes the world has seen in a century and thoroughly exchange views on the overall, long-term, and strategic issues of China-India relations, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said at a press briefing.
“The Doklam stand-off happened due to lack of mutual trust between India and China and PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping will try to bridge the deficit through “heart-to-heart” discussions in Wuhan later this week,” Kong said.
The 73-day Doklam standoff started after China started to build a road close to India’s narrow Chicken Neck area connecting northeastern states. Unlike China and Bhutan, India does not claim Doklam but supports Bhutan’s claim.
(With Inputs from MEA, ANI & Xinhua)
