PM Modi congratulates Chinese President Xi Jinping on second term after Party Congress

PM Modi's message of congratulations comes in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping's status being elevated in the party.

Ananth Krishnan  | Posted by Shreya Biswas
Beijing, October 26, 2017 | UPDATED 09:30 IST
PM Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Source: ReutersPM Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Source: Reuters

Highlights

  • 1
    Modi congratulated Xi on on Chinese Twitter, Sina Weibo.
  • 2
    Xi's status was elevated in the Party Congress recently.
  • 3
    A new leadership line-up was unveiled on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping after the recently-concluded Communist Party Congress in Beijing elevated Xi's status ahead of his second term.

"Congratulations to President Xi on getting re-elected as CPC General Secretary. Look forward to further promote India-China ties together," PM Modi wrote on his account on Chinese Twitter equivalent Sina Weibo, where he has around 1.85 lakh followers.

Modi's message of congratulations comes in the wake of a difficult period in bilateral ties, following the 72-day border stand-off in Doklam which ended on August 28. Modi and Xi had a cordial meeting in Xiamen, China, following the BRICS Summit in early September, with both having what officials described as "a forward looking conversation".

This followed their July 7 meeting in Hamburg at the G20, which officials saw as a turning point in pushing both sides to resolve the border stand-off peacefully.

Modi and Xi have had at least nine meetings, and have established a strong rapport despite new challenges in the relationship.

At the Party Congress, which ended on October 24, Xi's status in the party was elevated with his name and ideological contribution, called Xi Jinping Thought, enshrined into the Party Constitution.

A new leadership line-up was unveiled on Wednesday, with Xi beginning his second-term without a designated successor and with many key allies in both the Politburo and the PLA Central Military Commission.