Asia

Indian PM Modi to Host China’s Xi Jinping for Second Informal Summit

Last year in April, the two leaders held the landmark Wuhan Informal Summit, which defused the tension that erupted after the 73-day Doklam border stand-off between the Indian and Chinese militaries.
Sputnik

New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Chinese President Xi Jinping this year for a second informal summit, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The two sides are in touch through diplomatic channels to finalise the date and venue for the meeting", the ministry's spokesperson said, adding that further details will be revealed at a later stage.

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Modi and Xi are expected to meet on the side-lines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit that is being held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on 14-15 June. Leaders of the two Asian giants will also meet at the G-20 Summit scheduled for 28-29 June in Osaka, Japan.

Since the Wuhan Summit, the two countries have boosted their relations on the basis of an agreed "strategic guidance", and border has remained calm as the interaction between the military leaderships has also increased. The two neighbours have recently also reviewed the progress made in India-China bilateral relations since the Wuhan Informal Summit and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest, including the Indo-Pacific.

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There are around 20 places along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) where the territorial claims of both countries overlap, aside from Arunachal Pradesh in India, which China claims as its territory.

Due to the disputed areas, few incursions are witnessed at regular intervals. So far, 21 rounds of border talks have been held between the two neighbour countries to resolve differences over the LAC, which measures 3,488 km, mostly over hilly terrain.    

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