PM Modi, Xi Jinping look to refresh India-China ties at seaside summit

The extensive arrangements made in this seaside resort for the second India-China informal summit from Friday give no inkling of the sharp exchanges on Kashmir that have clouded the atmosphere over the past few weeks, with officials saying New Delhi is looking toward a substantive engagement that can help clear the air.

President Xi Jinping is set to fly to Chennai airport shortly after 2pm on Friday, two days after he remarked during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that China is closely following the situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and will support Pakistan in protecting its rights.

The external affairs ministry’s response was swift and direct – it said China was aware of India’s position that J&K is an integral part of the country, and that it didn’t welcome comments from other countries on its internal affairs.