Xi and Modi ‘committed to…, SahilOnline News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday aired India’s concern during talks with Chinese President Xi Xinping over China’s support to Pakistan on the release of 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

“The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin was very positive in the sense that a lot things have moved since December and the reason why that meeting went on for 19 minutes is because they went down a long list of issues, in great detail”, he said. Prime Minister Modi did raise our concerns.

Modi also reiterated India’s concern over the $46-billion China-Pakistan economic corridor running through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during his meeting.

Following Lakhvi’s release in Lahore, the United Nations Sanctions committee had met at India’s request, during which clarification was to be sought over his release, but China had blocked the move, stating that India needed to provide “adequate information”.

“I can assume that the Chinese side was impressed with the clarity and directness in which it was conveyed. Both of us are strongly committed to taking India-China ties to new heights and increasing our economic, cultural and people-to-people relations”, Mr. Modi said. The two leaders spent a considerable time discussing Modi’s “warm” visit to China in May and his trip to Xi’s hometown of Xi’an, Jaishankar said.

Mr. Modi had also posted three photos including Mr. Xi and him shaking hands at Ufa followed by their meeting along with respective delegations.

Noting that National Security Advisers of the two countries were also present in the meeting, he said the two sides discussed ways to take the talks forward.

To questions about BRICS bank and whether it is a competitor to recently-established Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), Jaishankar said the two have different roles and are not overlapping.

The meeting came before the seventh summit of BRICS, an emerging-market bloc that consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here.

The BRICS summit, which will begin today, will see an official welcome as well as the customary meeting that leaders have with the members of the BRICS business council.