China’s Xi to meet India’s Modi at informal summit
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive Chinese President Xi Jinping at an informal summit this week to discuss bilateral and regional issues, New Delhi says.
During visit on October 11-12 in the southern Indian city of Chennai, Modi will raise economic issues and the smaller presence of Indian companies in China compared with that of other major economies, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership.”
Last year, the two leaders met in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Srikanth Kondapalli, professor of Chinese studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Reuters that it was important for the nuclear-armed neighbors to stabilize relations. “The second informal meeting as such is significant given these ominous signals at bilateral, regional and global levels.”
The summit comes at a time of strained relations between the two countries over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
On August 5, Modi revoked the semi-autonomy of the part of Kashmir that India controls. New Delhi deployed troops to the region to stymie potential protests.
But the decision to withdraw special status for Kashmir drew sharp condemnation from Pakistan and China, which took the matter to the UN Security Council.
Ahead of Xi’s trip to India, China invited Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for talks. Beijing says it supports Pakistan in safeguarding its independent sovereignty and territorial integrity.
An Indian government source said New Delhi would make it clear that any change to its Jammu and Kashmir state was an internal affair in case the Chinese side were to raise the matter in the forthcoming informal summit.
China’s close security ties with Pakistan have long been a matter of concern in New Delhi as well.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India, Pakistan and China.
India rules the populous Kashmir Valley and the Hindu-dominated region around Jammu city, while Pakistan controls a wedge of territory in the west, and China holds a thinly populated high-altitude area in the north.
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