During the meeting on the sidelines of the 11th BRICS Summit on Wednesday, prime minister Modi said there was a "new direction and new energy" in bilateral ties after the two leaders' second informal summit in Chennai.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar described the engagement between Modi and Xi on the first day of the Informal summit as 'highly productive'.
Government sources also said there was no question of any discussion on the issue as it is India's sovereign matter but added that Modi will update the Chinese President on the matter if there is a query.
'Xi's meeting with Modi in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Friday and Saturday is expected to focus more on the two countries' historical and present differences, and how to move beyond them to realise their cooperation potential'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping India's concerns on the "unresolved" issues along Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh during a conversation on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Thursday.
Ahead of the India-China summit, Mahabalipuram, the ancient coastal town near Chennai, has been virtually turned into a fortress with unprecedented security arrangements while the beautification and other preparations touched a feverish pitch on Wednesday.
The state government had on Tuesday sought the court's permission to erect banners welcoming Modi and Xi Jinping, who are slated to meet at Mahabalipuram, for their second informal meet from October 11-13.
'For this kind of informal summit, I think it is better to leave the leaders much time to discuss whatever they would like to discuss'
'India stands to gain immensely by forging a developmental partnership with China.' 'While through sustained strategic communication there is scope to steadily expand the commonality of interests between the two countries.' 'This is also a practical way to ensure that differences do not get over-magnified and become disputes,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said Modi will lead the Indian delegation at the summit. "The prime minister will lead the Indian delegation to the 20th summit of the SCO council of heads of state which will be held in the virtual format on Nov 10. The meeting will be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
For the first time since the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to come face-to-face virtually at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) annual summit to be held on November 17.
India said that "a range of issues" were discussed by the two leaders.
China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said the event was just the first step in Sino-India cooperation on Afghanistan and collaboration will deepen in future.
President Xi said that the Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to carry forward the fresh impetus of bilateral relations.
Modi will meet Xi at 12.30 pm (10 am IST).
Beyond the barbed wire and watchtowers, though, lies a story that casts more than a little doubt on whether this dream will ever be realised. Praveen Swami reports.
'Leaders of the two nations have reportedly agreed to set up a hotline between their respective military headquarters,' state-run Global Times daily reported on Wednesday.
It is the first meeting between the two leaders after India boycotted the high-profile Belt and Road Forum.
The deliberations focused on bringing down tension along the disputed borders and ways to bridge the trust deficit.
The summit is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Doklam standoff last year.
'At the informal summit, the two leaders will have heart-to-heart discussions on overarching issues and try to build mutual trust'
"We have tweeted that the two leaders discussed a range of issues. A range of issues means a range of issues. I don't want to add anything further... I leave it to you to draw your conclusion," external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.
Modi emphasised that it was necessary to work together for sustained global economic recovery.
Nevertheless, border dispute will feature prominently on Modi's agenda but the matter won't be discussed at length. Nayanima Basu reports
China on Thursday tried to play down the continuing border standoff at Chumar coinciding with the visit of President Xi Jinping to India, saying the incident has been "effectively controlled and managed".
India and China will complete the disengagement process in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh by September 12, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday.
Russian news agency TASS, quoting a Kremlin official, said holding of the RIC (Russia-India-China) summit figured in during a recent video conference between President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
'The India-China relationship has deteriorated greatly over these past two years and it is set to deteriorate further.'
Sources said Wang is primarily visiting India to hold boundary talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
At a press briefing on Xi's recent visit to India and Nepal, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, "Both India and Pakistan are friendly neighbours of China, and the Chinese side hopes that the two countries can properly manage and control differences and improve their relations."
According to some media reports, the Modi-Xi informal summit could take place from October 11-13.
The talks will focus on 'delimitation of the border, boundary management and a host of bilateral and international issues'.
An MoU on sharing hydrological information of the Brahmaputra River by China to India and another pact on amendment of the protocol on phytosanitary requirements for exporting rice from India to China to include non-Basmati rice were signed after the Modi-Xi talks in the eastern Chinese port city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Hamburg, Germany for the G20 summit and it seems that NaMo is on a spree -- of handshakes that is. From China's Xi Jinping to Canada's Justin Trudeau, the PM has met them all and it appears he's having a really good time.
This will be the fourth visit of Modi to China after he came to power in 2014.
China on Thursday said its stand on blocking India against UN action on Pakistan was based on "facts" and in the spirit of "objectiveness and fairness".
The prime minister started off his remarks at the meeting in Tamil, welcoming China to the talks, which were held right after one-on-one discussions between Modi and Xi at the Taj Fisherman's Cove Hotel.
'In the next three decades up to 2050 there will be three important players at the world level.' 'India, US and China will be playing a very important role globally as the largest economies in the world.' 'These three countries will have to interact with each other much more closely because what they do and what they decide will impact the entire world.'
