Ahead of Modi-Xi meet, China refuses to budge on Kashmir

New Delhi: China has apparently conveyed to India that it “has not changed its position on the Kashmir issue” and that it wants the issue to be resolved in a peaceful manner bilaterally between India and Pakistan.

With both sides being in touch with each other in the past few days amid hectic diplomatic parleys, the decks have finally been cleared for the holding of the Second Informal Summit between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mahabalipuram (also known as Mamallapuram) near Chennai on October 11-12, with an official announcement by India expected by Tuesday. The delay in announcing the dates and venue of the meeting caused intense speculation about whether the meeting would be held.

Sino-Indian ties were strained following Beijing's support to Pakistan at the United Nations recently on the Kashmir issue after India abrogated Article 370

and bifurcated J&K State in early-August.

China was upset at the Indian Army holding exercises in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing regards as part of its territory. India was unhappy with China backing Pakistan at the UN on the Kashmir issue and also with Beijing pushing for informal discussions on the Kashmir issue by the member-countries of the UN Security Council at the behest of Pakistan a few weeks ago.

As reported earlier by this newspaper, October 11 will see a walk-through by the two leaders on the beach where the famed ancient Shore Temple is located. The main informal summit will be on October 12. The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues.