LOOKEAST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in China’s Wuhan city from 27 to 28 April for a “heart–to–heart” chat to explore a new paradigm for India–China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues like the border dispute.

Conceived on the lines of the ice–breaking visit undertaken by late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 and his far–reaching talks with China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, setting a new tone for the relations after the 1962 war, the Xi–Modi dialogue in the central Chinese city of Wuhan was aimed at a working a new paradigm for the bilateral relations for the next 15 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady of China Peng Liyuan at Sabarmati waterfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on September 17, 2014.

At the “informal summit” with a few officials and aides at a picturesque location, the two leaders plan to spend several hours exchanging their vision and perspectives about global and domestic scenarios and explore ideas to address the contentious bilateral issues like the border dispute sources said.

The talks will focus on adhering to the principle that both countries should be sensitive to each other’s concerns and aspirations, the sources added.

At the summit, Modi and Xi will try to work out a general framework for relations to move ahead without much of great expectations about the outcome, they said.

It is a leadership–driven summit, providing a leadership driven–direction and a way forward to more stable bilateral ties, the sources said.

While no major agreements were expected to be reached at the summit, the two leaders will have candid talks on the contentious issues like Xi’s pet project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) whose flagship project, the $50 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a major stumbling block for the bilateral ties.

No major agreements were expected to be reached at the summit, the two leaders will have candid talks on the contentious issues like Xi’s pet project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) whose flagship project, the $50 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a major stumbling block for the bilateral ties. India protested about CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan–occupied Kashmir (PoK) disregarding India’s sovereignty concerns

India protested about CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan–occupied Kashmir (PoK) disregarding India’s sovereignty concerns.

Last year turned out to be an extremely complex and difficult year for Sino–Indian ties with a host of festering differences like China blocking India’s entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as attempts to list Jaish–e–Muhammad leader Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the UN. The 73–day standoff at Doklam also hit bilateral ties.

The Wuhan summit is aimed at giving an “honest try” by the two leaders to work out an understanding at the top on the future course of relations to navigate through the maze of differences and build strategic trust and communication between themselves, they said. ■

© PTI