Modi-Xi Wuhan summit: Why Chinese media thinks it's a good idea; 10 points
Modi-Xi Wuhan summit: Why Chinese media thinks it's a good idea; 10 points on Business Standard. Nirmala Sitharaman and Sushma Swaraj attended meetings of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in China, days before a Modi-Xi Jinping summit in Wuhan on Apr 27-28 to improve India-China relations.
Latest News The Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping summit in China's Wuhan city on April 27-28 will see the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President discussing US President Donald Trump's "protectionist" trade policy and the "unprecedented" changes in the world order in the past 100 years, along with the contentious bilateral issues like China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which includes the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the IndiaChina border dispute, which came to a head during last year's Doklam standoff. Meanwhile, ahead of the meeting, official Chinese media commented that the Modi-Xi summit could be as significant as the one between former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1988. Ahead of the Modi-Xi summit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday attended the meetings of the defence and foreign ministers of the SCO in China. Swaraj on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for sheltering terrorists and urged the SCO to act against countries that promote terrorism. Further, a day after the Modi-Xi Wuhan summit was announced, EAM Swaraj called on Chinese President Xi and had a crucial one-on-one meeting with Vice-President Wang Qishan. Swaraj is in
Beijing to attend the foreign ministerial meeting of the SCO. She also met China's envoy to India, Luo Zhaohui. While Swaraj met Xi along with the foreign ministers of the SCO member countries, her one-on-one meet with Wang, considered China's second-most-powerful man, is seen as being of high significance ahead of the informal meeting between Modi and Xi. During their meeting, Swaraj and Wang discussed ways to strengthen India-China bilateral ties. Away from official statements and statecraft, the Dalai Lama welcomed the Modi-Xi summit, saying that the two countries together could make huge contributions in different fields. Over the weekend, the Tibetan spiritual leader had said that Tibet can remain in China, but only if Beijing recognises and respects the region's distinct culture and autonomy. The Modi-Xi summit will aim to create a broad framework for India-China ties and build trust between the two leaders, according to official statements emanating from both New Delhi and Beijing. Further, while the two-day Wuhan summit will be informal, it will not shy away from issues of major strategic divergence between India and China -- Modi and Xi will have candid talks on the BRI, which includes the $50-billion CPEC project that has become a major stumbling block in India-China bilateral ties. Modi and Xi will also explore ideas on
how to address the long-standing India-China border dispute. Informed sources told news agencies that the Modi-Xi Wuhan summit will see the two leaders give an "honest try" to working out an understanding at the top on the future course of India-China relations. Here are the top 10 developments around the Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping Wuhan summit in China and what is expected to emerge from the meeting:
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