UNSHEDULED MODI-XI MEETING EXPECTED TO MELT ICE
In a highly unusual move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China's Wuhan city on April 27 and 28 for an “informal” meeting with President Xi Jinping just a month ahead of his scheduled visit to the country for a summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The idea of an informal meeting between the two leaders came up for the first time on February 23 during Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s visit to China. There was need for a reset and the idea was floated so that a reset is possible at the highest level. However, as the Prime Minister was set to visit China in June, the South Block debated the merits and demerits of such an engagement. It is highly unusual for two world leaders to meet each other twice in a short span of time. While the meeting was being discussed and planned, India made some gestures of goodwill to prepare a positive environment for talks. The relations between the two countries had soured after the 73-day military stand-off in Doklam. As part of this effort, the government sent out a note to Centre and state ministers and officials to maintain distance from events organised by the Tibetan government-in-exile in India to mark the start of 60- years in exile of the Dalai Lama.
The government had informed China of the move before issuing the order. The note was sent on February 22, a day before Gokhale’s visit to China. Although the government did not go out of its way to placate Beijing on this issue, as this was not a new move, the gesture did help to create a positive atmosphere.
After Xi was re-elected President of China in March, Modi congratulated him and said it “demonstrates that Xi enjoys the support of the whole Chinese nation”. The idea of the summit was discussed and finalised during the conversation. A venue outside Beijing was selected to give the meeting between the two leaders an informal touch. Over the next one month, Indian and Chinese officials discussed and held meetings on the possible date and venue. On April 6, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou visited New Delhi and met his counterpart Gokhale and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss issues of contention. Following this, Doval visited China on April 13 and met Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Director of Central Foreign Affairs Commission. After deciding the date and the venue for the meet, discussions began on the agenda of the meeting.
Top Indian diplomats left for the city of Wuhan over the weekend after being granted visa by China on April 20. The meeting was announced after the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on April 22. The two leaders would likely meet at the late Mao Zedong’s private villa in Wuhan city. The venue is significant because Mao had hosted US President Richard Nixon during his 1972 visit to China at this villa. The visit, the first by a US President to the People's Republic of China, had ended an era of uncertainty and no communication between the two countries.