HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flew into this Chinese city for the crucial G20 summit and talks with top world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping on irritants in bilateral ties like India’s NSG bid and the CPEC, which runs through PoK.
“Hello Hangzhou! PM lands in China to attend the G20 Summit,” Modi tweeted, along with a photo showing Modi shaking hands with officials after landing.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also tweeted about the Prime Minister’s arrival in China, saying: “Morning in Hanoi, night in Hangzhou.”
Modi, who reached here after a two-day maiden visit to Hanoi, begins his programme tomorrow morning by holding talks with Xi, in their second meeting in less than three months. The two leaders had last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in June in Tashkent.
Tomorrow’s meeting is viewed as important in the backdrop of steady decline in the bilateral relations over a raft of issues including the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The two leaders, who enjoy a good rapport, would discuss contentious issues, which will also include listing of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in the UN and China stalling India’s membership at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
This would be followed by a meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders ahead of the G20 summit, which would begin later in the day. (AGENCIES)