A slew of pacts to set up ties and bring in investments will be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation trip to China, Mongolia and South Korea beginning May 14.
When asked if any breakthrough was expected on the contentious boundary issue with China during Modi’s visit, foreign secretary S Jaishankar said 18 rounds of talks have been held between the special representatives and that the two sides were yet to “reach a stage where there is finality”.
Jaishankar noted that progress on all bilateral issues and challenges will be discussed during Modi’s talks with the Chinese leadership.
Modi will first fly to Xian, the home province of President Xi. He will then travel to Beijing, for extensive talks with Prime Minister Li Keqiang. In Beijing, the two countries will sign agreements to bolster cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure including railways, tourism and greater people-to-people contracts.
“A full range of political issues” will be covered during the talks, Jaishankar said.
China is not keen on the clarification of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) proposed by Modi last year during Xi’s visit to India. The clarification of LAC ahead of the resolution of the boundary was expected to restrict aggressive patrolling from both sides.
{{/usCountry}}China is not keen on the clarification of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) proposed by Modi last year during Xi’s visit to India. The clarification of LAC ahead of the resolution of the boundary was expected to restrict aggressive patrolling from both sides.
{{/usCountry}}Jaishankar said India and China were also discussing cooperation in developing high speed trains and station development.
During his visit, Modi will also meet top Chinese CEOs including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and address the India-China Business Forum in Shanghai on May 16. The chief ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra will also be in China in a bid to bolster ties between Indian states and Chinese provinces.