Modi declares ‘start of new era’ in India-China relations in ‘heart-to-heart’ talks with Xi

Chinese and Indian leaders have just begun the second day of their one-to-one exchange at a picturesque Indian resort overlooking the Bay of Bengal, trading pleasantries and trying to mitigate frictions between their nations.

The second round of the informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping kicked off on Saturday morning in the state of Chennai. Their one-hour meeting started at the serene Fisherman's Cove resort and then continued on the beach washed by the Bay of Bengal, according to Indian media.

It mostly revolved around economic cooperation and struggles against extremism that plague both India and China. Modi and Xi had also apparently tried to iron out wrinkles that emerged after New Delhi revoked the autonomous status of its Jammu and Kashmir state that borders China.

“We had decided that we will manage our differences prudently and won't allow them to turn into disputes,” Modi told Xi, to which he replied: “Yesterday Prime Minister as you said, you and I had engaged in candid conversations like friends, heart-to-heart discussions on bilateral relations. And, I look forward to further discussions.”

Of course, there has been no shortage of mutual praise and reference to history. Modi, a conservative Hindu politician, said India and China have been economic powers that traded with one another “for the most part of the last 2,000 years.” He recalled their first informal summit at China’s Wuhan last year that gave “a fresh momentum” and boosted “strategic communication between our two countries.”

This year’s one-to-one spelled “the start of a new era in India-China relations,” PM Modi offered.

Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi talk during their visit to the Shore temple in Mamallapuram on the outskirts of Chennai © India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS

Earlier on Friday, he unleashed a charm offensive on XI, taking him on a personal tour of temples and monuments in the coastal town of Mamallapuram which has historical India-China ties. They also had extensive talks over dinner, at which Xi was treated to a range of specialties from the region.

That meeting went over schedule, with the leaders talking for two and a half hours. Prior to it, Modi had posted a few tweets in Chinese after arriving in Chennai, saying he hoped the meeting with Xi would lead to stronger bilateral ties.

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