CHINA-INDIA: XI-MODI SECOND 'INFORMAL' SUMMIT
The second 'informal' summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was held on October 11-12 at the ancient coastal town of Mammalapuram (Mahabalipuram). There were wide ranging one-on-one discussions between the two leaders lasting nearly 6 hours, including one with the full delegations. Contentious issues were avoided during the meeting as well as in the separate statements issued after the summit. Interesting was that Xi Jinping voluntarily briefed Modi on what Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had told him about the Kashmir issue in his meeting in Beijing a day earlier. As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said almost 10 days before the summit, the issue of Kashmir would not be discussed. Xi Jinping went directly to Nepal from Mahabalipuram.
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