PM Modi arrives in Wuhan for meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Wuhan in Central China for a two-day informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two country heads are likely to discuss major bilateral and global matters.

Wuhan is all prepared to lay out red carpet for Modi. The city, known to be the happiest in China, with its tree-lined streets and bicycle lanes, is putting up a show for the summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to repair strained relations at a summit on April 27-28 after the 73-day long Doklam dispute marred relations between the two countries last year.

The two-day summit in Wuhan city, billed as a “heart-to-heart” informal meeting, will have the two leaders review and chart a new course for India-China relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Before leaving for Chine on Thursday evening (26.4.2018) PM Modi said, “President Xi and I will exchange views on a range of issues of bilateral and global importance. We will discuss our respective visions and priorities for national development, particularly in the context of current and future international situation.”

The itinerary of PM Modi includes a one-on-one meeting with Xi, a tour of one of the best-known museums of China, dinner by a picturesque lakeside followed by talks with top officials over the course of his stay.

The museum tour will be followed by talks between the two leaders. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale will accompany Modi for the talks that will be held at the sprawling East Lake Guesthouse where Xi is staying. The two leaders will then join for dinner, said media reports.

The two leaders would spend most of the time interacting with each other at “relaxed meetings” — like a boat ride and walk by the East Lake — only accompanied by translators with one-on-one conversations focussing on global, regional and bilateral issues.

Modi and Xi will also hold two meetings in the presence of six top officials from their respective countries, though sources insisted it would be incorrect to describe them as formal delegation-level talks.

Xi and Modi are scheduled to have at least five rounds of extensive talks over Friday and Saturday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Xi and Modi have “a good working relationship and personal friendship”.