PM Modi also offered to host the next informal summit with Xi Jinping in India next year.

The summit is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Doklam standoff last year. (Photo: Twitter/@MEAIndia)

New Delhi/Wuhan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew back to Delhi on Saturday after a private dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan.

The menu card designed for the private lunch hosted for PM Modi had colours of the Indian flag, along with the picture of national bird peacock.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Xi walked along a sidewalk on the shores of the picturesque East Lake here and later sailed in the same boat for "peace, prosperity and development" in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Modi and Xi on Saturday began their last round of one-on-one talks on the second day of a two-day informal summit.

Also Read: Modi-Xi on same page, vow to maintain peace along India-China border

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he held "extensive and fruitful" talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their first round of two-day informal summit in Wuhan on Friday.

"I am very pleased to meet with President Xi Jinping in Wuhan. We conducted extensive and fruitful talks and exchanged opinions on strengthening India-China relations and other international issues," Modi said in a post in the popular Chinese social media Weibo, where he has 1,83,112 followers.

"Thank you, President Xi Jinping, for the wonderful gesture of personally accompanying me in the Hubei Provincial Museum. The Museum is home to great facets of Chinese history and culture," he said.

Billed as 'heart-to-heart', the informal summit aimed at evolving consensus between the two leaders to look for solutions to some of the most contentious issues including the border dispute bedevilling the two countries.

The summit is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Doklam standoff last year.

Attempting to bridge the differences between the two countries, Prime Minister Modi has also offered to host the next informal summit with Xi Jinping in India next year.

The two leaders began their informal meetings way back in 2014 when Xi was hosted by Modi at the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat. They have met and interacted with each other in about a dozen international meetings since then. </s> Wuhan (China), April 28 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spent nine hours together during the course of their informal summit here on Friday and Saturday, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said.

"7 events in 2 days, President #XiJinping and PM Modi sepnt 9 hours together, covering a wide range of topics in in-depth exchanges with much consensus. Thumbs up to the two leaders!" Luo tweeted following Modi's departure for India from here on Saturday.

After his arrival here early on Friday, Modi and Xi first met at the Hubei Provincial Museum where the two leaders held one-on-one talks.

Xi then accompanied Modi on a tour of an exhibition of Marquis Yi of Zeng Cultural Relics and Treasure displayed at the museum.

Thereafter, the two leaders held delegation-level talks that "went well beyond the budgeted time" as Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale put it at a media briefing here on Saturday.

On Friday evening, the Chinese President hosted a dinner in honour of the visiting Indian Prime Minister.

Modi and Xi again held discussions over tea on Saturday morning and took a walk along the East Lake here.

The two leaders then took a boat ride on the scenic East Lake.

Xi then hosted a lunch for Modi before the latter's departure for India. </s> WUHAN, China (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to an informal summit next year as he began an ice-breaking visit to China on Friday in which the giant neighbors are seeking to re-set troubled ties.

Modi is spending only about 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war between the Asian nations.

“I hope such informal summits becomes a tradition between both the countries. I’ll be happy, if in 2019 we can have such an informal summit in India,” Modi said, in comments broadcast in a media center for reporters in Wuhan.

Xi told Modi that their two countries’ influence in world and region was steadily on the rise.

“Looking ahead, we see a fast pace and bright future for China-India cooperation,” Xi said.

“China and India are both important engines for global growth and we are central pillars for promoting a multi-polar and globalized world. A good China-India relationship is an important and positive factor for maintaining peace and stability in the world,” he added.

Modi said that as India and China represented 40 percent of the world’s population, they needed to try to work together to tackle global problems.

Related Coverage China's Xi says hopes to open a new chapter in India ties

Stressing the importance of world peace, Modi said both nations have to “make all possible contributions”.

An Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Wuhan that Modi’s meeting with Xi was supposed to be half an hour but lasted for more than two hours. The museum visit had also lasted longer than planned.

“The fact he (Xi) showed him around the museum was a special gesture on his part,” the official added.

But despite the rhetoric on Friday, the nations’ differences are significant.

As well as disputes over stretches of a 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border, they are bumping up against each other in the Indian Ocean and squabbling over Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

India signaled as recently as Tuesday its opposition to the grand trade and transport plan because one of its branches runs through Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which India claims.

India has long been suspicious of China’s traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their visit at East Lake Guest House, in Wuhan, China, April 27, 2018. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE

For its part, China has been concerned about U.S. efforts to draw India into a maritime “quad” of democracies, including Japan and Australia.

China is also suspicious of India’s hosting of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans.

INFORMAL SETTINGS

But there was no public mention of any differences on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Xi viewed antique Chinese artifacts at the Hubei Provincial Museum, where they also exchanged views on boosting dialogue between their two ancient civilizations and how to live peacefully together, China’s state news agency Xinhua said.

The two were due to have dinner together later, according to India’s foreign ministry.

On Saturday, they will take a walk together and then an hour-long boat-trip, informal settings mostly without aides that both sides are hoping will lead to frank discussions.

In a commentary on Friday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said the cultures of both China and India set great store on the concept of harmony, and pointed out the Hubei Provincial Museum had in 2014 held a special exhibition on India.

Slideshow (9 Images)

“The friendly exchanges between China and India have again and again seen composed moving stories, creating a model for inter-cultural dialogue in the world,” it said.

The museum in Wuhan, an industrial and university provincial capital with no obvious connection to India, was closed ahead of the leaders’ visit. A plain clothes police office told a Reuters reporter to stop taking pictures.

A sign at the entrance said it was closed for four days due to “equipment maintenance”. </s> Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to China for an ‘informal summit’ with President Xi Jinping has been termed by Chinese media as the “beginning of a new chapter” in Sino-India relations. While some hailed the summit recognising the need for an allied future with greater cooperation in all areas, photographs of Modi and Xi shaking hands were seen on the front pages of many Chinese dailies.

While state-run media reported positively on Modi’s visit to Wuhan, multiple opinion pieces have tried to dissect the meeting and analyse why the warming of ties is relevant today.

An opinion piece in state-run news agency Xinhua says the meeting between the two is “going to set a stage for Beijing and New Delhi to further exchange views over long-term and strategic issues and to initiate fresh momentum for future bilateral cooperation.”

ALSO READ | Modi in China: PM, Xi Jinping discuss ways to boost economic ties, people-to-people relations

While ties between the two countries soured due to the 73-day Doklam standoff last year, the piece adds, trade between the two countries continued to flourish.

ALSO READ | China diary: This is what PM Narendra Modi gifted Xi Jinping

An editorial in ChinaDaily.com says the best part of the “informal” meeting was that it came with “no baggage, only expectations.”

ALSO READ | India, China to undertake joint economic project in Afghanistan

The piece goes on to say that “‘heart-to-heart’ communication” showed their “opened mutual chemistry” which, in turn, will be helpful in enhancing mutual trust between New Delhi and Beijing, paving the way for establishment of bilateral ties in the long-run.

The article, however, recognises “mutual suspicion” coming in the way of New Delhi and Beijing forging deeper ties given the Doklam standoff in the past, but adds that despite this, neither calls the other the enemy.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App </s> Modi, who reached in Hangzhou after a two-day maiden visit to Hanoi, begins his programme on Sunday morning by holding talks with Mr. Xi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flew into this Chinese city for the crucial G20 summit and talks with top world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping on irritants in bilateral ties like India’s NSG bid and the CPEC, which runs through PoK.

“Hello Hangzhou! PM lands in China to attend the G20 Summit,” Mr. Modi tweeted, along with a photo showing Mr. Modi shaking hands with officials after landing.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted about the Prime Minister’s arrival in China, saying: “Morning in Hanoi, night in Hangzhou.”

Mr. Modi, who reached in Hangzhou after a two-day maiden visit to Hanoi, begins his programme on Sunday morning by holding talks with Mr. Xi, in their second meeting in less than three months.

The two leaders had last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in June in Tashkent.

Sunday’s meeting is viewed as important in the backdrop of steady decline in the bilateral relations over a raft of issues including the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The two leaders, who enjoy a good rapport, would discuss contentious issues, which will also include listing of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in the UN and China stalling India’s membership at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

This would be followed by a meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders ahead of the G20 summit, which would begin later in the day.

Mr. Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

He will attend the G20 summit that begins on Sunday with this year’s theme of “Strengthening Policy coordination and Breaking a new path for growth” followed by a number of cultural programmes organised by the Chinese government.

On Monday, he will take part in the second and concluding session of the G20 and hold bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri before returning to Delhi.

In all, he would reside in this picturesque city for about 48 hours, officials said.

A meeting between Mr. Modi and US President Barack Obama is, however, not on the cards during this trip, they said. </s> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning departed for China's Qingdao to attend the two-day long 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). On Friday, the Prime Minister posted a message regarding the summit on his official Facebook account. This will be India's first participation in the summit as a full-time member of the organisation. India, along with Pakistan, became the full-time member during Astana summit in June 2017. Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese President. </s> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed to China’s President Xi Jinping that it was of “paramount importance” for bilateral relations that Beijing respected India’s concerns on key strategic issues.

Officials said these include Chinese investment in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and India’s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.

The PM raised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor issue during his bilateral meeting with Xi, his first meeting in Hangzhou, which was held before the G20 Summit opened on Sunday afternoon.

Modi also stressed the need to address the root causes of terrorism emanating from the neighbourhood, leaving little doubt that his message was aimed at getting China to pressure Pakistan, rather than preventing international action on its “all-weather friend” as it has recently done by placing holds on UNSC sanctions on terrorists such as Masood Azhar.

The PM also made what officials described as “a strong intervention” on terrorism during the informal BRICS leaders' summit that followed his bilateral talks with Xi.

“Terrorists in South Asia or anywhere for that matter do not own banks or weapons factories,” he said.

His meeting with Xi was seen by both sides as an opportunity to set ties on track. While officials said specific issues were not discussed in detail, the idea was to convey a clear message on the way forward for ties, and for more sensitivity to each other’s core concerns.

New Delhi’s message to Beijing in recent meetings was that it could not delink bilateral ties from its positions that often oppose India in international fora such as the NSG, where China has sought to delay India’s entry.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup declined to say if the NSG issue was specifically raised with Xi, pointing out that a summit-level meeting was aimed “to provide overall guidance and direction” to Indo-China relations.

However, he added: “If you read between the lines when we are talking about our strategic interests, concerns and aspirations, it is not that China is unaware of our strategic interests, concerns or aspirations, or that we are unaware of theirs. It is something that both sides are aware of.”

The issue has emerged as another thorn in India’s ties with China. But hopes are that some progress will be made soon, with the director generals of their disarmament departments holding talks to bridge differences.

Mentioning the recent attack on the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the PM stressed to Xi that it was “yet another proof of the continuing scourge of terrorism”.

Modi also stressed this message during a meeting with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull. Modi said Afghanistan, Russia, and China were suffering from the “destabilising” effects of terror.

Hence, it was “important for us to identify suppliers, exporters and financiers of terrorism, otherwise the world will face a huge challenge and problem in coming weeks and months” was the PM’s message, said Swarup.

The PM also thanked Turnbull for Australia’s “proactive support” for India’s membership to the NSG.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday exchanged pleasantries with US President Barack Obama and other world leaders attending the G20 summit. Modi met Obama briefly when they were on stage to pose for photographs at a venue in the eastern Chinese city.

Earlier in the day, Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on the sidelines of the Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman and held discussions on enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries.

According to the PM’s website, the leaders held discussions about boosting bilateral ties.

“Another bilateral follows first session at G20. PM meets Mohammad bin Salman, Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted soon after the meeting.

Mohammad, who is the son of Saudi King Salman, also holds the key defence and economic policy portfolios of the oil-rich Gulf Kingdom.

China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound ties and further strengthen bilateral cooperation, President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, as the two leaders held talks amid differences over a raft of issues.

“China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance their cooperation,” state-run Chinese Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying. The half-hour meeting was their second in less than three months.

Xi’s comments came against the backdrop of a raft of differences between the two countries. </s> WUHAN, China (Reuters) - The leaders of China and India agreed to open a new chapter in their relationship on Saturday after an informal summit, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan for meetings with President Xi Jinping, an ice-breaking trip both hoped would allow candour and nurture trust.

Billed as an informal get-together rather than a summit, the two men held talks on Friday that lasted far longer than expected, and on Saturday chatted over tea on a boat trip round a scenic lake.

“President Xi stressed that the issues between China and India are of a limited, temporary nature but the relationship between the two countries is extensive and ongoing,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told reporters in Wuhan.

Their differences are significant: as well as disputes over stretches of a 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border - the two fought a brief border war in 1962 - the Asian giants have squabbled over Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

India signalled as recently as Tuesday its opposition to the grand trade and transport plan because one of its branches runs through Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which India claims.

Xi and Modi agreed their problems would be resolved with time.

China’s Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, cited Xi as telling Modi their nations were major drivers of world economic growth and a good relationship would be positive for global stability.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said both leaders had agreed they could handle their differences peacefully.

“On the issue of the India-China boundary question, the two leaders endorsed the work of the special representatives in their efforts to find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement,” he said.

“And the two leaders also underscored that in the meantime it is important to maintain peace and tranquility in all areas of the India-China border region,” Gokhale said.

Kong said Modi and Xi did not discuss last summer’s border flare-up, although they agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement to the boundary problem.

“The biggest takeaway was that we have to increase mutual trust,” he said. “The reason that we had this dispute was because we were both mistrustful of each other.”

Chinese state media praised the tone of the trip.

The overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said in a front page commentary on Saturday “two great countries ought to have great co-operation”. It published a large photo of the two leaders shaking hands.

The official China Daily said in an editorial there was no denying mutual suspicion was keeping the two countries from working together.

“Yet neither Beijing nor New Delhi calls the other an enemy, which means both expect bilateral ties to improve. Indeed, China and India are natural partners,” it said.

Despite the upbeat statements, which on Friday included Modi inviting Xi to India for a similar informal summit next year, there were no concrete agreements reached.

Still, Kong said there are a number of projects China and India can cooperate on in the spirit of Belt and Road.

“We won’t force them to do something they don’t want to do,” he said.

India has long been apprehensive about China’s traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

For its part, China has been concerned about U.S. efforts to draw India into a maritime “quad” of democracies, including Japan and Australia.

China is also suspicious of India’s hosting of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans.

Kong said China did not believe India had changed its official position that Tibet is part of China.

Modi and Xi are set to meet again soon, when Modi visits China in June for a summit of the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security bloc. </s> BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China and India stressed the importance of close ties in talks Saturday, against the background of their rivalry for leadership in Asia and the potential for cooperation on economic and security matters.

Solid China-India relations "are an important factor for global peace and stability," Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted as telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Saturday.

The two Asian giants should "engage in even closer strategic communication," Xi was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying.

In a tweet, Modi said discussions over tea had been productive and that "Strong India-China friendship is beneficial for the people of our nations and the entire world."

Talks touched on economic issues, along with people-to-people relations, agriculture, technology, energy and tourism, Modi said in his tweet.

The meeting comes amid tensions over the contested China-India border and a rivalry for influence with smaller neighbors.

China-India relations date back centuries but in recent years have been characterized by competition for leadership in Asia.

The countries fought a border war in 1962 and last year engaged in a 10-week standoff. New Delhi has also been alarmed by China's moves to build ties with Indian Ocean nations including India's longtime rival Pakistan.

China, for its part, resents India's hosting of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and its control of territory Beijing says belongs to it.

Following the most protracted standoff in years, India last year agreed to pull back troops from the disputed Doklam Plateau high in the Himalayas, where Chinese troops had begun constructing a road. China claims the strategically important region, but India says it belongs to ally Bhutan.

Despite such differences, Modi hopes China can help drive Indian economic growth ahead of national elections next year. He also appears intent on building a strong personal relationship with Xi, who will be China's leader for years to come following the lifting of term limits on the presidency.

However, Modi's administration has been notably reluctant to engage with Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative linking its economy to those of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe through massive loans and investments.

Modi will travel to China again in June for a summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is dominated by Beijing and Moscow. Along with China, Russia and India, that group includes the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to an informal summit next year as he began an ice-breaking visit to China on Friday in which the giant neighbors are seeking to re-set troubled ties.