Modi in China LIVE UPDATES: The two leaders met at a lakeside resort in central China on Friday. (AP)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the East Lake once again and continue talks. On arriving in Wuhan province on Thursday, the Prime Minister had held discussions with Xi for nearly two hours on the first day of their “informal summit”. Xi had expressed hope that they will reach a “common, new and important understanding that will help take our relationship to the next level”.
The Prime Minister is visiting China for the first time since the re-election of Xi, following the removal of Constitutional term limit. A joint framework to mend strained ties over the recent years, especially during the Doklam crisis, is likely in the offing, reported The Indian Express. Modi outlined the five pillars or elements of India-China cooperation — “thought, communication, cooperation, dream and commitment” — and how these can become the strength of world peace, stability and prosperity. The two leaders will have more one-on-one conversations, including a walk on the lakeside and a boat ride, followed by lunch hosted by the Chinese president.
Highlights
PM Modi during his walk with president Xi Jinping invited the Chinese premier to India for a summit in 2019.
The two leaders are meeting at the East Lake in Wuhan, and taking a walk along the shoreline.
“Dear PM, Saw the live TV feed of your ‘No Agenda’ China visit. You look tense! A quick reminder: 1. DOKLAM. 2. China Pakistan Eco Corridor passes through POK. That’s Indian territory. India wants to hear you talk about these crucial issues. You have our support,” Rahul tweeted.
“In the past three years and more, you and I have exchanged visits, have met each other a number of times in multilateral occasions. We have jointly guided the growth of India, China relations and have seen that it has maintained good momentum,” Xi said. Without mentioning the trust deficit, the Chinese President said, “Our two countries have established a closer developmental partnership, our exchanges and cooperation in various fields have made positive progress… China and India have a combined population of over 2.6 billion, with an enormous potential for technology development and domestic market.”
In remarks after two hours of conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of their “informal summit” in Wuhan, Xi expressed hope that they will reach a “common, new and important understanding that will help take our relationship to the next level”. Officials from both sides indicated that they were working on a new framework, described as a “modus vivendi” or arrangement to bridge the strategic trust deficit. While a joint document is not being ruled out, Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale is likely to articulate the government’s takeaways after the summit Saturday.
Here is the schedule for PM Modi in Wuhan on the second day of his visit. These are local timing, China is 2.30 hours ahead of India.
1000-1030hrs - East Lake Walk with President Xi (East Lake Guesthouse Complex)
1030-1130hrs - Boat Ride with President Xi (East Lake)
1140 - 1240 - Lunch hosted by President Xi for PM.
Hello, and welcome to The Indian Express LIVE blog as we cover the day two Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to central China's Wuhan province as part of an ïnformal summit" with the Chinese President Xi Jinping.