Wuhan, China: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping inside a houseboat, in Wuhans East Lake, China on Saturday. (PTI Photo)
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.”
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.
An editorial in ChinaDaily.com says the best part of the “informal” meeting was that it came with “no baggage, only expectations.”
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.