Modi-Xi summit will look at big picture of Sino-Indian ties
(PTI desk)
The summit between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan from April 27-28 will mostly be one-on-one where they will devote most of the time to discuss big picture of Sino-Indian relations rather than specific issues, an official said. They will try to work out a new paradigm for bilateral ties bogged down with a host of disputes and differences.
The two leaders won't discuss specific issues
Sources said the summit is not the platform where the two leaders will discuss specific issues like the UN ban on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group chief Masood Azhar and tick off one by one. A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China, has repeatedly blocked India's move to designate Azhar, a global terrorist, under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.
No agreements are expected to be signed during meeting: sources
The two leaders will have free-flowing discussions and no agreements were expected to be signed, they said. Most of the time the two leaders are expected to interact between themselves with the presence of just translators, official sources said.
Modi expected to arrive in Wuhan on April 26
PM Modi is expected to arrive in Wuhan in the evening on April 26 and join Xi in the informal summit at a picturesque location the next day. The summit is unprecedented as this is the first time China is hosting an informal summit spanning about two days, signifying the importance it attaches to the bilateral ties bogged down.
Idea for this meeting was mooted during BRICS summit 2017
The idea for such a summit was mooted when Modi and Xi met during BRICS 2017 summit at Xiamen in backdrop of Doklam standoff and evolved steadily over the months with high-level meetings starting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Delhi last December.
