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Modi: summit will launch ‘new era’ for India, China

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MAHABALIPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his summit with Chinese leader Xi Xinping would launch a “new era” between the neighbours who are seeking to overcome troublesome differences.


Modi and Xi strolled along a pristine Bay of Bengal beach and held one-on-one talks overlooking the ocean before their delegations sat down to official negotiations at the historic resort town of Mahbalipuram, south of Chennai.


The two leaders are meeting for the second time in a year in a bid to ease tensions over border disputes, the troubled Kashmir region and China’s domination of trade between their huge economies.


Modi said a summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year “gave increased stability and fresh momentum to our relationship”.


“Our Chennai vision today has launched a new era of cooperation between our two countries,” he added as he launched the formal talks.


Modi highlighted how the two had agreed last year to “prudently manage our differences and not to allow them to become disputes”.


They agreed to “remain sensitive to each other’s concerns” so the relationship “will be a source of peace and stability in the world. All these are our big achievements and inspire us to work harder.”


Modi did not mention the irritations between the two sides, saying only that he and Xi had “discussed important bilateral and global issues”.


Changes ordered by the New Delhi government will see Kashmir’s Ladakh region — part of which is claimed by Beijing — turned into a separate Indian administrative territory.


India has moved closer to the US and its allies in seeking a counter-weight to China’s growing military shadow in the Asia-Pacific region.


It has been infuriated by China’s diplomatic backing for Pakistan. But at talks on Friday, the leaders acknowledged the common fight against “terrorism”, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.


Modi and Xi said “radicalisation was a matter of concern to both, and that both would work together to see that radicalisation and terrorism did not affect the fabric of our multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious societies,” Gokhale told reporters.


China made no immediate comment on the summit. But the official Xinhua news agency said Xi received a “warm welcome” from Modi and they agreed their countries “should respect and learn from each other so as to jointly achieve common development and prosperity”.— AFP


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