NEW DELHI, Sep 12: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the BRICS Summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years and offering a fresh opportunity to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Xi on Saturday evening. The meeting, slated for 6 pm, is expected to cover the broader state of relations and explore new measures to expand cooperation in trade, investment and other areas.
Focus keyphrase: Xi Jinping India visit
The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements between New Delhi and Beijing aimed at improving ties that were severely strained by the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Officials said the two leaders are likely to review the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and discuss further steps to maintain peace and stability along the border. They are also expected to examine ways to deepen economic engagement and increase two-way trade and investment.
Xi was received at Delhi airport by Union Minister Jitin Prasada, while cultural artistes performed traditional dances to welcome the Chinese president.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Chinese leader’s arrival, saying India looked forward to constructive discussions as BRICS continues to promote cooperation and contribute to a more balanced, representative and multipolar world.
Xi’s delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
The Chinese president’s visit follows several confidence-building measures undertaken by both sides in recent months to repair relations affected by the more than four-and-a-half-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Modi and Xi had held extensive discussions on August 31 last year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China. Their upcoming meeting is expected to build on those discussions and assess progress in improving bilateral relations.
The recent Special Representative talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang Yi in Beijing also provided another platform for dialogue. The discussions focused on the India-China boundary question, trans-boundary cooperation and efforts to preserve peace along the LAC.
Doval and Wang serve as the designated Special Representatives for the boundary negotiations mechanism established in 2003 to address the India-China border dispute, which extends over 3,488 kilometres.
Despite the recent diplomatic engagement, concerns remain over Chinese military activity along the Arunachal Pradesh sector. The border issue is therefore expected to remain an important component of discussions between the two leaders.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said Beijing was prepared to work with New Delhi to implement the strategic guidance provided by the two leaders, strengthen communication, expand cooperation and appropriately manage differences.
He said China wanted to develop a relationship with India based on good-neighbourliness and mutual support, while handling bilateral ties from a long-term and strategic perspective.