WUHAN, China (Reuters) - The leaders of China and India agreed to open a new chapter in their relationship on Saturday after an informal summit, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan for meetings with President Xi Jinping, an ice-breaking trip both hoped would allow candour and nurture trust.

Billed as an informal get-together rather than a summit, the two men held talks on Friday that lasted far longer than expected, and on Saturday chatted over tea on a boat trip round a scenic lake.

“President Xi stressed that the issues between China and India are of a limited, temporary nature but the relationship between the two countries is extensive and ongoing,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told reporters in Wuhan.

Their differences are significant: as well as disputes over stretches of a 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border - the two fought a brief border war in 1962 - the Asian giants have squabbled over Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

India signalled as recently as Tuesday its opposition to the grand trade and transport plan because one of its branches runs through Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which India claims.

Xi and Modi agreed their problems would be resolved with time.

China’s Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, cited Xi as telling Modi their nations were major drivers of world economic growth and a good relationship would be positive for global stability.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said both leaders had agreed they could handle their differences peacefully.

“On the issue of the India-China boundary question, the two leaders endorsed the work of the special representatives in their efforts to find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement,” he said.

“And the two leaders also underscored that in the meantime it is important to maintain peace and tranquility in all areas of the India-China border region,” Gokhale said.

Kong said Modi and Xi did not discuss last summer’s border flare-up, although they agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement to the boundary problem.

“The biggest takeaway was that we have to increase mutual trust,” he said. “The reason that we had this dispute was because we were both mistrustful of each other.”

Chinese state media praised the tone of the trip.

The overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said in a front page commentary on Saturday “two great countries ought to have great co-operation”. It published a large photo of the two leaders shaking hands.

The official China Daily said in an editorial there was no denying mutual suspicion was keeping the two countries from working together.

“Yet neither Beijing nor New Delhi calls the other an enemy, which means both expect bilateral ties to improve. Indeed, China and India are natural partners,” it said.

Despite the upbeat statements, which on Friday included Modi inviting Xi to India for a similar informal summit next year, there were no concrete agreements reached.

Still, Kong said there are a number of projects China and India can cooperate on in the spirit of Belt and Road.

“We won’t force them to do something they don’t want to do,” he said.

India has long been apprehensive about China’s traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

For its part, China has been concerned about U.S. efforts to draw India into a maritime “quad” of democracies, including Japan and Australia.

China is also suspicious of India’s hosting of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans.

Kong said China did not believe India had changed its official position that Tibet is part of China.

Modi and Xi are set to meet again soon, when Modi visits China in June for a summit of the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security bloc.</s>BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China and India stressed the importance of close ties in talks Saturday, against the background of their rivalry for leadership in Asia and the potential for cooperation on economic and security matters.

Solid China-India relations "are an important factor for global peace and stability," Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted as telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Saturday.

The two Asian giants should "engage in even closer strategic communication," Xi was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying.

In a tweet, Modi said discussions over tea had been productive and that "Strong India-China friendship is beneficial for the people of our nations and the entire world."

Talks touched on economic issues, along with people-to-people relations, agriculture, technology, energy and tourism, Modi said in his tweet.

The meeting comes amid tensions over the contested China-India border and a rivalry for influence with smaller neighbors.

China-India relations date back centuries but in recent years have been characterized by competition for leadership in Asia.

The countries fought a border war in 1962 and last year engaged in a 10-week standoff. New Delhi has also been alarmed by China's moves to build ties with Indian Ocean nations including India's longtime rival Pakistan.

China, for its part, resents India's hosting of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and its control of territory Beijing says belongs to it.

Following the most protracted standoff in years, India last year agreed to pull back troops from the disputed Doklam Plateau high in the Himalayas, where Chinese troops had begun constructing a road. China claims the strategically important region, but India says it belongs to ally Bhutan.

Despite such differences, Modi hopes China can help drive Indian economic growth ahead of national elections next year. He also appears intent on building a strong personal relationship with Xi, who will be China's leader for years to come following the lifting of term limits on the presidency.

However, Modi's administration has been notably reluctant to engage with Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative linking its economy to those of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe through massive loans and investments.

Modi will travel to China again in June for a summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is dominated by Beijing and Moscow. Along with China, Russia and India, that group includes the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Pakistan.</s>New Delhi: India and China seem to have reached a broad strategic understanding on how to take forward ties, rocked by an unprecedented 73-day-long tense military standoff along their common borders last year, at the end of a rare informal summit between the top leaders of the two countries.

The two day summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and ended on Saturday.

From the Indian perspective, an agreement between the two leaders that India and China will “respect each other’s sensitivities, concerns and aspirations,” and that they will maintain peace and tranquillity along their common but yet to be demarcated frontiers are seen as key.

A statement issued by the Indian government said PM Modi and President Xi reviewed developments in India-China relations from the strategic and long-term perspective. “They agreed to significantly enhance efforts to build on the convergences through the established mechanisms in order to create the broadest possible platform for the future relationship. They also agreed that both sides have the maturity and wisdom to handle the differences through peaceful discussion within the context of the overall relationship, bearing in mind the importance of respecting each other’s sensitivities, concerns and aspirations,” added the statement.

“Prime Minister Modi and President Xi underlined that as two major countries India and China have wider and overlapping regional and global interests,” it said. The statement also added Modi and Xi recognized the common threat posed by terrorism, and reiterated their strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Also read: Asia’s balance of power has become fairly lopsided

The summit was seen as an effort by India and China to repair trust and improve ties that were hit by a 73-day-long military standoff on Bhutan’s Dokolam plateau last year. The standoff rocked ties that were already seen as tense after India refused to attend a China organised conference on its flagship multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative.

There was also friction over China blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group as well as Beijing’s refusal to back India’s attempts to get Pakistan based militant Maulana Masood Azhar named a terrorist.

And it is in this context that the agreement to respect each other’s sensitivities and to maintain peace on the border assume significance.

Briefing reporters in Wuhan, Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale described the talks between the two leaders as “forward looking”and that they were in agreement that the practice of such informal summits should continue. There were four one to one meetings between Xi and Modi on Friday and Saturday besides two others where senior officials joined in.

Modi and Xi agreed that “India and China, as major powers with decisional and strategic autonomy, will pursue peaceful stable and balanced relations and such a relationship will be a positive factor for stability in the current global uncertainty,” Gokhale said. They also agreed that the “development of a sound bilateral relationship (between India and China) which have about 40% of the world population will also be conducive for development in the region,” he said.

There was agreement on the need for “building an open, multipolar pluralist participatory global economic order,” the foreign secretary said, adding that the two leaders also concurred on “the need to reform multilateral, financial and political institutions to make them more responsive to developing countries.”

Xi and Modi “endorsed” the work done by the special representatives of India and China on trying to find a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement” to the boundary dispute, Gokhale said.

Pending the settlement, Modi and Xi agreed that “it is important to maintain peace and tranquillity in all areas of the India China border region, and to this end, the two leaders decided that they would issue strategic guidance to their respective militaries to strengthen communication to build trust and understanding, to implement various confidence building measures which have already been agreed upon by the two sides, and to strengthen existing institutional mechanisms to prevent and manage situations in the border areas,” Gokhale said.

The two countries have had 20 round of talks at the special representative level on their unsettled boundary without success. But they have signed several pacts in 1993, 1996, 2005 and in 2013 to ensure their border remains peaceful.

Another subject that came up for discussion was the burgeoning trade gap between India and China which is an irritant in ties given that the deficit is more than $50 billion in China’s favour. Gokhale said Modi had spoken of the need to make trade more balanced and referred to the possibility of increasing agricultural and pharmaceutical exports to China in this context.

Besides bilateral issues, Modi and Xi also agreed to “strengthen strategic communication between two countries through greater consultation on regional and international issues,” Gokhale said, adding that the two leaders felt “this sort of a discussion would have a positive influence on enhancing mutual understanding,” besides contributing to regional and global stability.

To widen the scope of their international cooperation, the two leaders also identified digital empowerment, global healthcare, combating disease, disaster risk and mitigation besides climate change as areas where the two could work collaboratively.</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to China for an ‘informal summit’ with President Xi Jinping has been termed by Chinese media as the “beginning of a new chapter” in Sino-India relations. While some hailed the summit recognising the need for an allied future with greater cooperation in all areas, photographs of Modi and Xi shaking hands were seen on the front pages of many Chinese dailies.

While state-run media reported positively on Modi’s visit to Wuhan, multiple opinion pieces have tried to dissect the meeting and analyse why the warming of ties is relevant today.

An opinion piece in state-run news agency Xinhua says the meeting between the two is “going to set a stage for Beijing and New Delhi to further exchange views over long-term and strategic issues and to initiate fresh momentum for future bilateral cooperation.”

ALSO READ | Modi in China: PM, Xi Jinping discuss ways to boost economic ties, people-to-people relations

While ties between the two countries soured due to the 73-day Doklam standoff last year, the piece adds, trade between the two countries continued to flourish.

ALSO READ | China diary: This is what PM Narendra Modi gifted Xi Jinping

An editorial in ChinaDaily.com says the best part of the “informal” meeting was that it came with “no baggage, only expectations.”

ALSO READ | India, China to undertake joint economic project in Afghanistan

The piece goes on to say that “‘heart-to-heart’ communication” showed their “opened mutual chemistry” which, in turn, will be helpful in enhancing mutual trust between New Delhi and Beijing, paving the way for establishment of bilateral ties in the long-run.

The article, however, recognises “mutual suspicion” coming in the way of New Delhi and Beijing forging deeper ties given the Doklam standoff in the past, but adds that despite this, neither calls the other the enemy.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China and India stressed the importance of close ties in talks Saturday, against the background of their rivalry for leadership in Asia and the potential for cooperation on economic and security matters.

Solid China-India relations "are an important factor for global peace and stability," Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted as telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Saturday.

The two Asian giants should "engage in even closer strategic communication," Xi was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying.

In a tweet, Modi said discussions over tea had been productive and that "Strong India-China friendship is beneficial for the people of our nations and the entire world."

Talks touched on economic issues, along with people-to-people relations, agriculture, technology, energy and tourism, Modi said in his tweet.

The meeting comes amid tensions over the contested China-India border and a rivalry for influence with smaller neighbors.

China-India relations date back centuries but in recent years have been characterized by competition for leadership in Asia.

The countries fought a border war in 1962 and last year engaged in a 10-week standoff. New Delhi has also been alarmed by China's moves to build ties with Indian Ocean nations including India's longtime rival Pakistan.

China, for its part, resents India's hosting of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and its control of territory Beijing says belongs to it.

Following the most protracted standoff in years, India last year agreed to pull back troops from the disputed Doklam Plateau high in the Himalayas, where Chinese troops had begun constructing a road. China claims the strategically important region, but India says it belongs to ally Bhutan.

Despite such differences, Modi hopes China can help drive Indian economic growth ahead of national elections next year. He also appears intent on building a strong personal relationship with Xi, who will be China's leader for years to come following the lifting of term limits on the presidency.

However, Modi's administration has been notably reluctant to engage with Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative linking its economy to those of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe through massive loans and investments.

Modi will travel to China again in June for a summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is dominated by Beijing and Moscow. Along with China, Russia and India, that group includes the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Pakistan.</s>It’s been a busy week for geopolitical meetings. While Western leaders convened in Washington and Korean leaders got together in the demilitarized zone, India’s Narendra Modi headed to the Wuhan province in China to talk with President Xi Jinping for a two-day informal summit beginning Friday. It’s a meeting worth watching: As a new world order takes shape, these two countries go from peripheral players to central drivers. These five facts explain what you need to know.

In 2000, China accounted for just 3.6 percent of the global economy; today it’s responsible for nearly 15 percent of the world’s economic output, and by 2032 it’s poised to surpass the U.S. to claim the world’s top spot. It’s done so by harnessing the power of state-capitalism, intertwining its political power with its financial clout at a scale never seen in the global free market.

India is still in the beginning stages of its economic ascent, but it’s unmistakably underway—over the next four years, the IMF projects the Indian economy will grow on average by nearly 8 percent annually. Modi has overseen a remarkable crackdown in corruption and bureaucracy in the world’s largest free-market democracy by population (1.32 billion people). He is also presiding over a much-needed modernization of the country’s infrastructure, and is shoring up its finances through an ambitious new goods and services tax. By 2027, India is expected to be the world’s third-largest economy behind only the US and China.

Between 1990 and 2011, nearly 450 million Chinese were raised out of poverty. Over roughly the same time period (1994 to 2012), more than 130 million Indians escaped poverty, a 50 percent reduction in its poverty rate.

For years, the consensus was that a rising middle-class would force Chinese leadership to reform its political system to accommodate an empowered citizenry that would demand more freedoms. That didn’t happen, although to Beijing’s credit, Chinese leadership proactively began addressing concerns like corruption and air pollution before they reached crisis levels. The recent (and continuing) political turbulence in the West has also dulled the appeal of free-market democracy in the eyes of many.

India is another story. Modi has failed to live up to his campaign promise to create 10 million new jobs a year; by some estimates, he hasn’t even been able to hit 10 percent of that mark. India’s healthcare system also remains underwhelming, and its issues will become more pronounced as the economic fortunes of average citizens continue to rise. (The government has announced plans to dramatically expand basic health coverage, but doesn’t have the resources to come close to fully delivering on those lofty promises.) Both these oversights have given Modi’s political opposition an opening ahead of Indian elections slated for spring 2019.

Yet Indians are still bullish on the future—70 percent of Indians today are “satisfied” with the way things are going in the country, up from 29 percent in 2013. Given the immense strides India has made in the last two decades, that optimism is understandable. However, while globalization has already begun roiling politics in the West, it has yet to do so in emerging markets.

That moment of reckoning is coming. According to the World Bank, 69 percent of jobs in India today are at risk of automation in the dawning era of AI. And automation isn’t just coming for India: 77 percent of jobs in China are also susceptible to the coming tech revolution. But China, maybe more than any other country in the world, is equipped to handle it. Beijing has shown time and again that it prizes social stability over economic gain, and given its unusual control over the entire Chinese economy, the country is positioned to ensure that mass-scale economic displacement remains carefully managed and in check. Free-market democracies, not so much.

Given today’s chaotic politics and the disruptive tech headwinds looming, the Chinese political model has never been more appealing. But that system comes at a cost—namely a growing surveillance state, spanning from a national video network of 176 million cameras nationwide (with a plan to install 250+ million more by 2020) to a “social credit system” that aggregates aspects of person’s history—from cheating on school exams to missing alimony payments to visiting “problematic” websites—into a composite score to assess a person’s trustworthiness. That in turn could determine what kind of doctors you can see, what dating websites you can join, or where you’re allowed to travel.

Such measures are fundamentally incompatible with liberal democracy, especially one like India where elections are regular and fiercely contested, speech is (mostly) free, and the courts are independent. That hasn’t stopped Modi from trying to assert more control, proposing a law earlier this month to strip any journalist that disseminated “fake news” (as deemed by the government) of their credentials. (That law was pulled following publicly outcry.) India’s much-vaunted Aadhar biometric identification system—intended to help authorities cut down on benefits fraud—was voluntary when first rolled out but is now effectively mandatory to receive essential government services. It is now being challenged in courts, but there is also a growing sense among some in India that democracy doesn’t bring the advantages it once did—a sentiment largely fueled by China’s meteoric rise. But while Modi may be willing to trade some of his citizens’ privacy for a more efficient government, it’s not clear that the Indian public agrees with him. Which leads us to this week’s “informal” summit, one with no set agenda. That’s by design—the goal of this meeting is to help Xi and Modi keep things cordial between the two growing economic powers. And there have been more than enough flashpoints in recent months to make a meeting like this necessary: in the Maldives, in Sri Lanka, even in sleepy Bhutan. But maybe the most contentious issue has been Beijing’s pursuit of a $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of its ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) plan intended to tie the economic fortunes of 70+ countries to Beijing through infrastructure investments; part of that corridor runs through contested-Kashmir. Beijing even wants India to sign up for OBOR as well, but India pointedly refused again just days ahead of the meeting. The reality is that China today has supplanted Pakistan as India’s chief rival in Asia—but neither sees great value in escalating tensions further. That starts with the meeting this week.</s>Wuhan (China), April 28 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spent nine hours together during the course of their informal summit here on Friday and Saturday, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said.

"7 events in 2 days, President #XiJinping and PM Modi sepnt 9 hours together, covering a wide range of topics in in-depth exchanges with much consensus. Thumbs up to the two leaders!" Luo tweeted following Modi's departure for India from here on Saturday.

After his arrival here early on Friday, Modi and Xi first met at the Hubei Provincial Museum where the two leaders held one-on-one talks.

Xi then accompanied Modi on a tour of an exhibition of Marquis Yi of Zeng Cultural Relics and Treasure displayed at the museum.

Thereafter, the two leaders held delegation-level talks that "went well beyond the budgeted time" as Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale put it at a media briefing here on Saturday.

On Friday evening, the Chinese President hosted a dinner in honour of the visiting Indian Prime Minister.

Modi and Xi again held discussions over tea on Saturday morning and took a walk along the East Lake here.

The two leaders then took a boat ride on the scenic East Lake.

Xi then hosted a lunch for Modi before the latter's departure for India.</s>WUHAN, China (Reuters) - The leaders of China and India agreed to open a new chapter in their relationship on Saturday after an informal summit, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan for meetings with President Xi Jinping, an ice-breaking trip both hoped would allow candour and nurture trust.

Billed as an informal get-together rather than a summit, the two men held talks on Friday that lasted far longer than expected, and on Saturday chatted over tea on a boat trip round a scenic lake.

“President Xi stressed that the issues between China and India are of a limited, temporary nature but the relationship between the two countries is extensive and ongoing,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told reporters in Wuhan.

Their differences are significant: as well as disputes over stretches of a 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border - the two fought a brief border war in 1962 - the Asian giants have squabbled over Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

India signalled as recently as Tuesday its opposition to the grand trade and transport plan because one of its branches runs through Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which India claims.

Xi and Modi agreed their problems would be resolved with time.

China’s Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, cited Xi as telling Modi their nations were major drivers of world economic growth and a good relationship would be positive for global stability.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said both leaders had agreed they could handle their differences peacefully.

“On the issue of the India-China boundary question, the two leaders endorsed the work of the special representatives in their efforts to find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement,” he said.

“And the two leaders also underscored that in the meantime it is important to maintain peace and tranquility in all areas of the India-China border region,” Gokhale said.

Kong said Modi and Xi did not discuss last summer’s border flare-up, although they agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement to the boundary problem.

“The biggest takeaway was that we have to increase mutual trust,” he said. “The reason that we had this dispute was because we were both mistrustful of each other.”

Chinese state media praised the tone of the trip.

The overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said in a front page commentary on Saturday “two great countries ought to have great co-operation”. It published a large photo of the two leaders shaking hands.

The official China Daily said in an editorial there was no denying mutual suspicion was keeping the two countries from working together.

“Yet neither Beijing nor New Delhi calls the other an enemy, which means both expect bilateral ties to improve. Indeed, China and India are natural partners,” it said.

Despite the upbeat statements, which on Friday included Modi inviting Xi to India for a similar informal summit next year, there were no concrete agreements reached.

Still, Kong said there are a number of projects China and India can cooperate on in the spirit of Belt and Road.

“We won’t force them to do something they don’t want to do,” he said.

India has long been apprehensive about China’s traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

For its part, China has been concerned about U.S. efforts to draw India into a maritime “quad” of democracies, including Japan and Australia.

China is also suspicious of India’s hosting of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans.

Kong said China did not believe India had changed its official position that Tibet is part of China.

Modi and Xi are set to meet again soon, when Modi visits China in June for a summit of the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security bloc.</s>WUHAN, China (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to an informal summit next year as he began an ice-breaking visit to China on Friday in which the giant neighbors are seeking to re-set troubled ties.

Modi is spending only about 24 hours in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war between the Asian nations.

“I hope such informal summits becomes a tradition between both the countries. I’ll be happy, if in 2019 we can have such an informal summit in India,” Modi said, in comments broadcast in a media center for reporters in Wuhan.

Xi told Modi that their two countries’ influence in world and region was steadily on the rise.

“Looking ahead, we see a fast pace and bright future for China-India cooperation,” Xi said.

“China and India are both important engines for global growth and we are central pillars for promoting a multi-polar and globalized world. A good China-India relationship is an important and positive factor for maintaining peace and stability in the world,” he added.

Modi said that as India and China represented 40 percent of the world’s population, they needed to try to work together to tackle global problems.

Related Coverage China's Xi says hopes to open a new chapter in India ties

Stressing the importance of world peace, Modi said both nations have to “make all possible contributions”.

An Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Wuhan that Modi’s meeting with Xi was supposed to be half an hour but lasted for more than two hours. The museum visit had also lasted longer than planned.

“The fact he (Xi) showed him around the museum was a special gesture on his part,” the official added.

But despite the rhetoric on Friday, the nations’ differences are significant.

As well as disputes over stretches of a 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border, they are bumping up against each other in the Indian Ocean and squabbling over Xi’s signature Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

India signaled as recently as Tuesday its opposition to the grand trade and transport plan because one of its branches runs through Pakistani-administered Kashmir, which India claims.

India has long been suspicious of China’s traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their visit at East Lake Guest House, in Wuhan, China, April 27, 2018. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE

For its part, China has been concerned about U.S. efforts to draw India into a maritime “quad” of democracies, including Japan and Australia.

China is also suspicious of India’s hosting of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans.

INFORMAL SETTINGS

But there was no public mention of any differences on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Xi viewed antique Chinese artifacts at the Hubei Provincial Museum, where they also exchanged views on boosting dialogue between their two ancient civilizations and how to live peacefully together, China’s state news agency Xinhua said.

The two were due to have dinner together later, according to India’s foreign ministry.

On Saturday, they will take a walk together and then an hour-long boat-trip, informal settings mostly without aides that both sides are hoping will lead to frank discussions.

In a commentary on Friday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said the cultures of both China and India set great store on the concept of harmony, and pointed out the Hubei Provincial Museum had in 2014 held a special exhibition on India.

Slideshow (9 Images)

“The friendly exchanges between China and India have again and again seen composed moving stories, creating a model for inter-cultural dialogue in the world,” it said.

The museum in Wuhan, an industrial and university provincial capital with no obvious connection to India, was closed ahead of the leaders’ visit. A plain clothes police office told a Reuters reporter to stop taking pictures.

A sign at the entrance said it was closed for four days due to “equipment maintenance”.</s>PM Modi also offered to host the next informal summit with Xi Jinping in India next year.

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. (Photo: Twitter/@MEAIndia)

New Delhi/Wuhan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew back to Delhi on Saturday after a private dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan.

The menu card designed for the private lunch hosted for PM Modi had colours of the Indian flag, along with the picture of national bird peacock.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Xi walked along a sidewalk on the shores of the picturesque East Lake here and later sailed in the same boat for "peace, prosperity and development" in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Modi and Xi on Saturday began their last round of one-on-one talks on the second day of a two-day informal summit.

Also Read: Modi-Xi on same page, vow to maintain peace along India-China border

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he held "extensive and fruitful" talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their first round of two-day informal summit in Wuhan on Friday.

"I am very pleased to meet with President Xi Jinping in Wuhan. We conducted extensive and fruitful talks and exchanged opinions on strengthening India-China relations and other international issues," Modi said in a post in the popular Chinese social media Weibo, where he has 1,83,112 followers.

"Thank you, President Xi Jinping, for the wonderful gesture of personally accompanying me in the Hubei Provincial Museum. The Museum is home to great facets of Chinese history and culture," he said.

Billed as 'heart-to-heart', the informal summit aimed at evolving consensus between the two leaders to look for solutions to some of the most contentious issues including the border dispute bedevilling the two countries.

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.

Attempting to bridge the differences between the two countries, Prime Minister Modi has also offered to host the next informal summit with Xi Jinping in India next year.

The two leaders began their informal meetings way back in 2014 when Xi was hosted by Modi at the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat. They have met and interacted with each other in about a dozen international meetings since then.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to an informal summit next year as he began an ice-breaking visit to China on Friday in which the giant neighbors are seeking to re-set troubled ties.