Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is flying to China today for an 'informal meeting' with President Xi Jinping, which has piqued the interest of media as well as international affairs experts across the globe.

PM Modi and President Xi will be meeting in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province and a commercial centre divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. As per Encyclopaedia Britannica, the government of newly-formed People's Republic of China merged three cities namely Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang into one single entity of Wuhan.

Wuhan is a strategically located city and its geographical centrality - it is almost equidistant from capital Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing - gives it commercial significance.

The continuous recording of settlement in Wuhan and neighbouring areas dates back to thousands of years. The three cities - which were merged into one to carve out Wuhan - had served as capital cities of many dynasties in imperial Chinese, including the Ming dynasty.

The region has also served as the base for major revolutions in 20th century China, like the Chinese revolution in 1911 and workers' strike in 1923, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mao Zedong also used to run a Peasant Movement Institute in Wuchang.

Hanyag was the site of China's first modern-day steel plant, and Wuhan later became second most important metallurgical centre of China. The iron and steel base has attracted other industries Wuhan is the largest centre of heavy machine tools manufacturing in China.

Wuhan is at the centre of a wide network of river, rail and road transportation from almost every direction which makes it a key collecting and distribution point for different products.

Wuhan is a strategically located city and its geographical centrality gives it commercial significance.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is flying to China today for an 'informal meeting' with President Xi Jinping, which has piqued the interest of media as well as international affairs experts across the globe. PM Modi and President Xi will be meeting in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province and a commercial centre divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. As per Encyclopaedia Britannica, the government of newly-formed People's Republic of China merged three cities namely Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang into one single entity of Wuhan. Wuhan is a strategically located city and its geographical centrality - it is almost equidistant from capital Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing - gives it commercial significance. The continuous recording of settlement in Wuhan and neighbouring areas dates back to thousands of years. The three cities - which were merged into one to carve out Wuhan - had served as capital cities of many dynasties in imperial Chinese, including the Ming dynasty. The region has also served as the base for major revolutions in 20th century China, like the Chinese revolution in 1911 and workers' strike in 1923, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mao Zedong also used to run a Peasant Movement Institute in Wuchang. Hanyag was the site of China's first modern-day steel plant, and Wuhan later became second most important metallurgical centre of China. The iron and steel base has attracted other industries Wuhan is the largest centre of heavy machine tools manufacturing in China. Wuhan is at the centre of a wide network of river, rail and road transportation from almost every direction which makes it a key collecting and distribution point for different products.

All you need to know about Wuhan, the venue for 'informal' Modi-Xi meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived at Wuhan city in China ahead of his scheduled informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Jinping and Prime Minister Modi are expected to hold bilateral talks on Friday as part of the two-day informal summit between India and China.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Wuhan, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>. The PM was received by Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of foreign affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui (Ambassador), Tong Daochi (Vice-Governor of Hubei) and many others. <a href="https://t.co/Kuq2k2j8gy">pic.twitter.com/Kuq2k2j8gy</a>
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Security has been beefed up in China's Wuhan city ahead of the summit between two leaders.

Teams of security personnel have been deployed at various locations where the convoy of the Asian leaders is expected to pass by.

The airport of the Wuhan city and other places are expected to be on high-alert as the two leaders are scheduled to hold talks over two days, probably in open areas.

It is an unprecedented summit to be held between the two global leaders where no memorandum of understanding or statement is expected to be issued after the summit.

Earlier in the day, Xi arrived at the Wuhan City ahead of the informal summit.&nbsp;

They are expected to visit certain places in the Wuhan City, including the East Lake or Wuhan botanical garden, which is said to be the famous sight-seeing places of the Chinese commercial hub.&nbsp;

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Wuhan, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>. The PM was received by Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of foreign affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui (Ambassador), Tong Daochi (Vice-Governor of Hubei) and many others. <a href="https://t.co/WWxWqYuO58">pic.twitter.com/WWxWqYuO58</a>
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&nbsp;

Teams of security personnel have been deployed at various locations where the convoy of the Asian leaders is expected to pass by.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived at Wuhan city in China ahead of his scheduled informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Jinping and Prime Minister Modi are expected to hold bilateral talks on Friday as part of the two-day informal summit between India and China. #WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Wuhan, #China. The PM was received by Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of foreign affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui (Ambassador), Tong Daochi (Vice-Governor of Hubei) and many others. pic.twitter.com/Kuq2k2j8gy — ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2018 × Security has been beefed up in China's Wuhan city ahead of the summit between two leaders. Teams of security personnel have been deployed at various locations where the convoy of the Asian leaders is expected to pass by. The airport of the Wuhan city and other places are expected to be on high-alert as the two leaders are scheduled to hold talks over two days, probably in open areas. It is an unprecedented summit to be held between the two global leaders where no memorandum of understanding or statement is expected to be issued after the summit. Earlier in the day, Xi arrived at the Wuhan City ahead of the informal summit. They are expected to visit certain places in the Wuhan City, including the East Lake or Wuhan botanical garden, which is said to be the famous sight-seeing places of the Chinese commercial hub. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Wuhan, #China. The PM was received by Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of foreign affairs of China, Luo Zhaohui (Ambassador), Tong Daochi (Vice-Governor of Hubei) and many others. pic.twitter.com/WWxWqYuO58 — ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2018 ×

Watch: PM Modi arrives in Wuhan to meet President Xi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday left for China, to attend first of its kind 'informal summit'.

PM Modi in a statement, said the two Asian giants will review development in the relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Security has been beefed up in China's Wuhan city ahead of the summit between two leaders.

Teams of security personnel have been deployed at various locations where the convoy of the Asian leaders is expected to pass by.The airport of the Wuhan city and other places are expected to be on high-alert as the two leaders are scheduled to hold talks over two days, probably in open areas.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: PM Narendra Modi leaves for Wuhan, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>. He will hold an informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 27th & 28th April. <a href="https://t.co/k5P8DprVtW">pic.twitter.com/k5P8DprVtW</a>
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It is an unprecedented summit to be held between the two global leaders where no memorandum of understanding or statement is expected to be issued after the summit.

Earlier in the day, Xi arrived at the Wuhan City ahead of the informal summit. Later in the evening, Prime Minister Modi will depart for Beijing.

They are expected to visit certain places in the Wuhan City, including the East Lake or Wuhan botanical garden, which is said to be the famous sight-seeing places of the Chinese commercial hub.&nbsp

(With inputs from ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday left for China, to attend first of its kind 'informal summit'. PM Modi in a statement, said the two Asian giants will review development in the relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Security has been beefed up in China's Wuhan city ahead of the summit between two leaders. Teams of security personnel have been deployed at various locations where the convoy of the Asian leaders is expected to pass by.The airport of the Wuhan city and other places are expected to be on high-alert as the two leaders are scheduled to hold talks over two days, probably in open areas. #WATCH: PM Narendra Modi leaves for Wuhan, #China. He will hold an informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 27th & 28th April. pic.twitter.com/k5P8DprVtW — ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2018 × It is an unprecedented summit to be held between the two global leaders where no memorandum of understanding or statement is expected to be issued after the summit. Earlier in the day, Xi arrived at the Wuhan City ahead of the informal summit. Later in the evening, Prime Minister Modi will depart for Beijing. They are expected to visit certain places in the Wuhan City, including the East Lake or Wuhan botanical garden, which is said to be the famous sight-seeing places of the Chinese commercial hub. (With inputs from ANI)

PM Narendra Modi leaves for China; security beefed up in Wuhan

Narendra Modi's signature hug&nbsp;hits the headlines every time he meets a world leader. Since Modi took over as Indian prime minister in 2014, world leaders have been the recipient of famous Modi hug.&nbsp;

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In February 2017, Modi welcomed his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau with a bear hug. Similarly, in June 2017, Modi caught US President Donald Trump off guard when he reciprocated to a handshake with a warm hug after a news conference at the White House.&nbsp;

Former President Barack Obama was also treated with hugs on all occasions when the two met. Modi continued his tradition of hugging world leaders when he met the newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

However, the hugs also landed a little awkwardly sometimes, like in 2016,&nbsp;when Modi embraced former French president Francois Hollande. The clumsy hug drew a lot of criticisms including from opposition Congress party which often mocked Modi's hugplomacy.&nbsp;

However, the Indian prime minister has never shied away from hugging his counterparts including in G20 summit in June 2017 when he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

But Modi's signature hug was missing at the BRICS summit in Hamburg in 2017 when a firm handshake replaced it.&nbsp;At the other end was Chinese President Xi Jinping. &nbsp;

The two leaders shook hands and greeted each other as relations between India and China were tense then following&nbsp;Dokhlam standoff.&nbsp;

A year later Modi is meeting Xi again amid speculation that the thaw in ties will begin with a hug rather than a formal handshake. However, it's&nbsp;believed that the Chinese may not be comfortable about physical contact with people they are not too familiar with. It's more to do with culture than diplomatic.&nbsp;

Modi, who is known worldwide as a hugger, did not make the move on Xi at the BRICS summit in Hamburg, Germany in 2017

Narendra Modi's signature hug hits the headlines every time he meets a world leader. Since Modi took over as Indian prime minister in 2014, world leaders have been the recipient of famous Modi hug. × In February 2017, Modi welcomed his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau with a bear hug. Similarly, in June 2017, Modi caught US President Donald Trump off guard when he reciprocated to a handshake with a warm hug after a news conference at the White House. Former President Barack Obama was also treated with hugs on all occasions when the two met. Modi continued his tradition of hugging world leaders when he met the newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. However, the hugs also landed a little awkwardly sometimes, like in 2016, when Modi embraced former French president Francois Hollande. The clumsy hug drew a lot of criticisms including from opposition Congress party which often mocked Modi's hugplomacy. However, the Indian prime minister has never shied away from hugging his counterparts including in G20 summit in June 2017 when he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. But Modi's signature hug was missing at the BRICS summit in Hamburg in 2017 when a firm handshake replaced it. At the other end was Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders shook hands and greeted each other as relations between India and China were tense then following Dokhlam standoff. A year later Modi is meeting Xi again amid speculation that the thaw in ties will begin with a hug rather than a formal handshake. However, it's believed that the Chinese may not be comfortable about physical contact with people they are not too familiar with. It's more to do with culture than diplomatic.

Wuhan summit is informal but will Modi hug Xi?

Security has been beefed up Wuhan on Thursday as China gears up to&nbsp;host Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi and&nbsp;Chinese President Xi Jinping are to hold an informal summit in Wuhan.

The last meeting between Xi and Modi took place in China's eastern city of Xiamen last September after the ninth BRICS summit.

News agency Reuters report quoting&nbsp;Indian ambassador to China, Gautam Bambawale stated that&nbsp;&nbsp;Modi's meeting with Xi will bear no agenda and will have a very friendly setting. However, he also said that the two leaders may still hold a candid dialogue on the pressing global issues and their outlook for the world and set a course for the development of bilateral ties.

Modi has sought to re-set ties after disputes over issues including their disputed border with Tibet and other issues.

The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military stand-off in a remote, high-altitude stretch of that boundary last year. At one point, soldiers from the two sides threw stones and punches.

The last meeting between Xi and Modi took place in China's eastern city of Xiamen last September after the ninth BRICS summit.

Security has been beefed up Wuhan on Thursday as China gears up to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are to hold an informal summit in Wuhan. The last meeting between Xi and Modi took place in China's eastern city of Xiamen last September after the ninth BRICS summit. News agency Reuters report quoting Indian ambassador to China, Gautam Bambawale stated that Modi's meeting with Xi will bear no agenda and will have a very friendly setting. However, he also said that the two leaders may still hold a candid dialogue on the pressing global issues and their outlook for the world and set a course for the development of bilateral ties. Modi has sought to re-set ties after disputes over issues including their disputed border with Tibet and other issues. The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military stand-off in a remote, high-altitude stretch of that boundary last year. At one point, soldiers from the two sides threw stones and punches.

China gears up to welcome Modi for informal summit with Xi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for two days for an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-xi-will-not-sign-agreements-at-wuhan-summit-but-build-trust-to-resolve-bilateral-issues-china-132552">'informal meeting'</a> with President Xi Jinping, as efforts at rapprochement gather pace following a testing year in ties between the two giant neighbours.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the two would meet on Friday and Saturday in the central <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/why-is-india-china-wuhan-summit-different--132672">Chinese city of Wuhan</a>. He added that PM Modi is visiting Wuhan at the invitation of President Xi.

But the details of the meeting, which is reported to have been called suddenly, were being worked upon for the past many days. The meeting of India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with China's State Councillor on April 13, and presence of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in China point towards this.

"Our common interests far outweigh our differences. The two countries have no choice other than pursuing everlasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development," Wang told reporters after meeting Swaraj in Beijing.

Swaraj confirmed later that her discussion with Wang was to prepare for the informal summit.

<a href="www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-xi-to-chart-a-new-course-for-india-china-ties-at-wuhan-summit--132075">Modi's visit</a> is being considered as a bold step, especially after the Doklam stand-off and other border issues. The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military stand-off in Doklam last year. At one point, soldiers from the two sides threw stones and punches.

This is the fourth time Modi will be visiting China after becoming the Prime Minister. He visited China for bilateral talks in 2015, then again in 2016 to take part in G-20 summit. Modi also attended the BRICS Summit last year in China.

It is almost unheard of for foreign leaders to visit China in such close succession. Xi is also extending Modi the rare honour of a meeting outside of Beijing, which almost never happens unless there is a multilateral summit taking place. Chinese officials said Modi will stay in the most comfortable place in Wuhan.

"The two leaders will spend two days in Wuhan. In these two days, they will engage with other on various forums. What I can tell you here is that they will spend a lot of time together one-on-one," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said. "Leaders in the past met in multilateral occasions, 30 minutes or one hour. Those meetings are important but personally speaking the meetings on the multilateral occasions are more ceremonial meetings," he added.

What's on the agenda?

Trade talks are likely to dominate the meeting between Modi and Xi. With a trade war brewing between US and China, Beijing is keen to amp up the volume of trade with New Delhi. Currently, the trade deficit between the two countries is close to Rs 3.5 lakh crore, though exports have risen by 39 per cent and imports by 14. India has been trying hard to reduce the trade deficit and has been asking Beijing to open IT and pharma sectors for Indian firms.

The second talking point between two leaders is going to be the border issue. Both Modi and Xi are likely to discuss the situation in Doklam and iron out issues pertaining to the network of roads in border areas.

However, sources in New Delhi said the meeting will not have an "issue-based discussion but a strategic conversation between the two leaders to understand each other's perspective on national and international matters". They also said that the summit is not aimed at "resetting" India-China ties.

At the informal summit, the two leaders will have strategic communication on the major changes in the international landscape unseen in more than 100 years. They will have in-depth exchange of views on the issues of overarching long-term and strategic importance in the bilateral relations, Kong said.

"This time we will make the first attempt to hold the informal summit. I am confident that with the joint efforts of both sides the new format will live up to the expectations," he added.&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

It is almost unheard of for foreign leaders to visit China in such close succession.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for two days for an 'informal meeting' with President Xi Jinping, as efforts at rapprochement gather pace following a testing year in ties between the two giant neighbours. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the two would meet on Friday and Saturday in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. He added that PM Modi is visiting Wuhan at the invitation of President Xi. But the details of the meeting, which is reported to have been called suddenly, were being worked upon for the past many days. The meeting of India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with China's State Councillor on April 13, and presence of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in China point towards this. "Our common interests far outweigh our differences. The two countries have no choice other than pursuing everlasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development," Wang told reporters after meeting Swaraj in Beijing. Swaraj confirmed later that her discussion with Wang was to prepare for the informal summit. Modi's visit is being considered as a bold step, especially after the Doklam stand-off and other border issues. The Asian giants were locked in a 73-day military stand-off in Doklam last year. At one point, soldiers from the two sides threw stones and punches. This is the fourth time Modi will be visiting China after becoming the Prime Minister. He visited China for bilateral talks in 2015, then again in 2016 to take part in G-20 summit. Modi also attended the BRICS Summit last year in China. It is almost unheard of for foreign leaders to visit China in such close succession. Xi is also extending Modi the rare honour of a meeting outside of Beijing, which almost never happens unless there is a multilateral summit taking place. Chinese officials said Modi will stay in the most comfortable place in Wuhan. "The two leaders will spend two days in Wuhan. In these two days, they will engage with other on various forums. What I can tell you here is that they will spend a lot of time together one-on-one," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said. "Leaders in the past met in multilateral occasions, 30 minutes or one hour. Those meetings are important but personally speaking the meetings on the multilateral occasions are more ceremonial meetings," he added. What's on the agenda? Trade talks are likely to dominate the meeting between Modi and Xi. With a trade war brewing between US and China, Beijing is keen to amp up the volume of trade with New Delhi. Currently, the trade deficit between the two countries is close to Rs 3.5 lakh crore, though exports have risen by 39 per cent and imports by 14. India has been trying hard to reduce the trade deficit and has been asking Beijing to open IT and pharma sectors for Indian firms. The second talking point between two leaders is going to be the border issue. Both Modi and Xi are likely to discuss the situation in Doklam and iron out issues pertaining to the network of roads in border areas. However, sources in New Delhi said the meeting will not have an "issue-based discussion but a strategic conversation between the two leaders to understand each other's perspective on national and international matters". They also said that the summit is not aimed at "resetting" India-China ties. At the informal summit, the two leaders will have strategic communication on the major changes in the international landscape unseen in more than 100 years. They will have in-depth exchange of views on the issues of overarching long-term and strategic importance in the bilateral relations, Kong said. "This time we will make the first attempt to hold the informal summit. I am confident that with the joint efforts of both sides the new format will live up to the expectations," he added.

With trade deficit on mind, Modi heads to Wuhan for 'informal meeting' with Xi Jinping

China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang on Tuesday addressed the media over the informal meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping set to take place on April 27-28.&nbsp

Currently, Sushma Swarak and Nirmala Sitharaman are in Beijing to attend the foreign and defence ministers' meet organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO). Member countries in the SCO&nbspinclude China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan.

This<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/doklam-happened-due-to-lack-of-mutual-trust-says-china-132612"> informal summit</a> is the first of its kind and there is no precedent in each other's country.&nbsp"At the informal summit, the two leaders will have heart-to-heart discussions on overarching issues and try to build mutual trust and consensus to resolve outstanding differences," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told the media.

"The frequent exchanges between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi in recent years have taken place in various forms. One example is the "hometown diplomacy" as characterized by President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and Prime Minister Modi's visit to China in 2015," Kang said.&nbsp

"In addition, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi have met several times on the sidelines of the summits of multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS, the G20, and the&nbspShanghai Cooperation Organization," he added.

Kang further informed that "During these occasions, they exchanged views on issues of common interest and reached many important consensus, which has offered strong guidance to the China-India relations and enabled a good working relationship and personal friendship&nbspbetween the two leaders. At the same time, in the face of unprecedented changes in the world today as well as uncertainty and instability in the current international situation, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi, as the leaders of the two largest developing countries, also feel that the two countries need to communicate in great depth on some long-term, comprehensive, and strategic issues embedded in bilateral relations and international affairs."

"The two sides agreed that an informal meeting would be a good idea so that the two leaders would make full and in-depth exchanges on major issues of common concern in a suitable atmosphere. We believe that more important consensus will be reached during the informal meeting in Wuhan which will contribute to the sound and stable development of China-India relations," Kang finally said.&nbsp

&nbsp

This informal summit is the first of its kind and there is no precedent in each other's country

China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang on Tuesday addressed the media over the informal meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping set to take place on April 27-28. Currently, Sushma Swarak and Nirmala Sitharaman are in Beijing to attend the foreign and defence ministers' meet organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO). Member countries in the SCO&nbspinclude China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan. This informal summit is the first of its kind and there is no precedent in each other's country. "At the informal summit, the two leaders will have heart-to-heart discussions on overarching issues and try to build mutual trust and consensus to resolve outstanding differences," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou told the media. "The frequent exchanges between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi in recent years have taken place in various forms. One example is the "hometown diplomacy" as characterized by President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and Prime Minister Modi's visit to China in 2015," Kang said. "In addition, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi have met several times on the sidelines of the summits of multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS, the G20, and the&nbspShanghai Cooperation Organization," he added. Kang further informed that "During these occasions, they exchanged views on issues of common interest and reached many important consensus, which has offered strong guidance to the China-India relations and enabled a good working relationship and personal friendship&nbspbetween the two leaders. At the same time, in the face of unprecedented changes in the world today as well as uncertainty and instability in the current international situation, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi, as the leaders of the two largest developing countries, also feel that the two countries need to communicate in great depth on some long-term, comprehensive, and strategic issues embedded in bilateral relations and international affairs." "The two sides agreed that an informal meeting would be a good idea so that the two leaders would make full and in-depth exchanges on major issues of common concern in a suitable atmosphere. We believe that more important consensus will be reached during the informal meeting in Wuhan which will contribute to the sound and stable development of China-India relations," Kang finally said.

Modi-Xi to make in-depth exchanges on major issues of common concern: China foreign ministry

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in China today to attend a preparatory meeting related to upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

During her visit, Sitharaman is likely to meet a number of Chinese leaders. She will attend the SCO defence ministers' meeting tomorrow.

The annual summit of the SCO, in which India is the latest entrant along with Pakistan, will take place in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend it.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is already here on a four-day visit here to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting to finalise the agenda for the summit of the eight-member political, economic and security bloc.&nbsp

The SCO, headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2001.

Comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan, the SCO aims at military cooperation between the member states and involves intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia and joint work against cyber terrorism.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is already here on a four-day visit here

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in China today to attend a preparatory meeting related to upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). During her visit, Sitharaman is likely to meet a number of Chinese leaders. She will attend the SCO defence ministers' meeting tomorrow. The annual summit of the SCO, in which India is the latest entrant along with Pakistan, will take place in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend it. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is already here on a four-day visit here to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting to finalise the agenda for the summit of the eight-member political, economic and security bloc. The SCO, headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2001. Comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan, the SCO aims at military cooperation between the member states and involves intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia and joint work against cyber terrorism.

Nirmala Sitharaman arrives in China to attend SCO defence ministers' meeting

Ahead of this week's meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China today reassured Pakistan that relations between both the nations would "never rust" and are as firm as ever. &nbsp;

Xi's meeting with PM Modi is seen as a something that could unnerve Islamabad.

The "all weather" allies, China and Pakistan, have enjoyed close ties that are often viewed with suspicion by India.

At a meeting&nbsp;in Beijing, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif that China will continue to firmly support Pakistan.&nbsp;

"We are ready to work together with our Pakistani brothers to undertake the historical mission of national rejuvenation and achieve the great dream of national prosperity and development," Wang said.

"In this way, our iron friendship with Pakistan will never rust and be tempered into steel."

The officials did not make any comments on the upcoming Xi-Modi meeting.&nbsp;

PM Modi has tried to reset relations with Beijing after years of disagreements over issues ranging from border disputes to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

An informal summit between Modi and Xi will be held in China on Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Sunday hoped that an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping later this week in the Chinese city of Wuhan will enhance "good chemistry" between the two leaders and strengthen bilateral ties.

After a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced in Beijing that Modi and Xi will hold an informal summit in Wuhan city from April 27 to 28.&nbsp;

"The summit will highlight the personal friendship and enhance the good chemistry between the two leaders. I believe with the guidance of our two leaders and through joint efforts of the Chinese and Indian people including you and me, China-India relations will turn a new page," Luo said in a video message while making a debut on Twitter.

(With inputs from agencies)

China will continue to firmly support Pakistan, its top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, told Pakistan`s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif at a meeting in Beijing

Ahead of this week's meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China today reassured Pakistan that relations between both the nations would "never rust" and are as firm as ever. Xi's meeting with PM Modi is seen as a something that could unnerve Islamabad. The "all weather" allies, China and Pakistan, have enjoyed close ties that are often viewed with suspicion by India. At a meeting in Beijing, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif that China will continue to firmly support Pakistan. "We are ready to work together with our Pakistani brothers to undertake the historical mission of national rejuvenation and achieve the great dream of national prosperity and development," Wang said. "In this way, our iron friendship with Pakistan will never rust and be tempered into steel." The officials did not make any comments on the upcoming Xi-Modi meeting. PM Modi has tried to reset relations with Beijing after years of disagreements over issues ranging from border disputes to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. An informal summit between Modi and Xi will be held in China on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Sunday hoped that an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping later this week in the Chinese city of Wuhan will enhance "good chemistry" between the two leaders and strengthen bilateral ties. After a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced in Beijing that Modi and Xi will hold an informal summit in Wuhan city from April 27 to 28. "The summit will highlight the personal friendship and enhance the good chemistry between the two leaders. I believe with the guidance of our two leaders and through joint efforts of the Chinese and Indian people including you and me, China-India relations will turn a new page," Luo said in a video message while making a debut on Twitter. (With inputs from agencies)

Ties will 'never rust': China reassures Pakistan ahead of Xi's meeting with PM Modi

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/modi-xi-to-chart-a-new-course-for-india-china-ties-at-wuhan-summit--132075">Modi-Xi to chart a new course for India-China ties at Wuhan summit</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in China's Wuhan city from April 27 to 28 for a "heart-to-heart" chat to explore a new paradigm for India-China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues like the border dispute.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-election-2018-many-killed-in-a-blast-at-voter-registration-centre-in-kabul-131999">Kabul suicide blast: Death toll reaches 48</a>

The death toll from Sunday's blast in the Afghan capital Kabul rose to 48, with 112 others wounded, a public health officer said. The attack follows several weeks of relative calm in Kabul.&nbsp;

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/congress-may-move-court-if-impeachment-notice-rejected-132066">Congress may move court if impeachment notice rejected</a>

As the Congress awaits the decision of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on an impeachment notice moved by it and other parties against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, it is considering moving the Supreme Court if the petition is rejected, party leaders said.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/israel-hints-it-could-hit-irans-air-force-in-syria-132058">Israel hints it could hit Iran's 'air force' in Syria</a>

Israel released details on Tuesday about what it described as an Iranian "air force" deployed in neighbouring Syria, including civilian planes suspected of transferring arms, a signal that these could be attacked should tensions with Tehran escalate.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/i-am-also-ignored-amit-shah-doesnt-allow-any-of-my-programme-to-happen-subramanian-swamy-on-yashwant-sinha-132030">Subramanian Swamy accuses Amit Shah of ignoring him, but won't quit BJP</a>

Subramanian Swamy on Sunday claimed that he has often been ignored by party chief Amit Shah who, he said, has often did not allow his programmes to take place.

.

Modi-Xi to chart a new course for India-China ties at Wuhan summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in China's Wuhan city from April 27 to 28 for a "heart-to-heart" chat to explore a new paradigm for India-China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues like the border dispute. Kabul suicide blast: Death toll reaches 48 The death toll from Sunday's blast in the Afghan capital Kabul rose to 48, with 112 others wounded, a public health officer said. The attack follows several weeks of relative calm in Kabul. Congress may move court if impeachment notice rejected As the Congress awaits the decision of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on an impeachment notice moved by it and other parties against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, it is considering moving the Supreme Court if the petition is rejected, party leaders said. Israel hints it could hit Iran's 'air force' in Syria Israel released details on Tuesday about what it described as an Iranian "air force" deployed in neighbouring Syria, including civilian planes suspected of transferring arms, a signal that these could be attacked should tensions with Tehran escalate. Subramanian Swamy accuses Amit Shah of ignoring him, but won't quit BJP Subramanian Swamy on Sunday claimed that he has often been ignored by party chief Amit Shah who, he said, has often did not allow his programmes to take place. .

News brief: Big stories of the day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in China's Wuhan city from April 27 to 28 for a "heart-to-heart" chat to explore a new paradigm for India-China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues like the border dispute.

Conceived on the lines of the ice-breaking visit undertaken by late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 and his far-reaching talks with China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, setting a new tone for the relations after the 1962 war, the Xi-Modi dialogue in the central Chinese city of Wuhan was aimed at a working a new paradigm for the bilateral relations for the next 15 years, informed sources told PTI here.&nbsp

At the "informal summit" with a few officials and aides at a picturesque location, the two leaders plan to spend several hours exchanging their vision and perspectives about global and domestic scenarios and explore ideas to address the contentious bilateral issues like the border dispute, they said.&nbsp

The talks will focus on adhering to the principle that both countries should be sensitive to each other's concerns and aspirations, the sources said.

At the summit, Modi and Xi will try to work out a general framework for relations to move ahead without much of great expectations about the outcome, they said.

It is a leadership-driven summit, providing a leadership driven-direction and a way forward to more stable bilateral ties, the sources said.&nbsp

While no major agreements were expected to be reached at the summit, the two leaders will have candid talks on the contentious issues like Xi's pet project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) whose flagship project, the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a major stumbling block for the bilateral ties.&nbsp

India protested about CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) disregarding India's sovereignty concerns.&nbsp

Last year turned out to be an extremely complex and difficult year for Sino-Indian ties with a host of festering differences like China blocking India's entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as attempts to list Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the UN. The 73-day standoff at Dokalam also hit bilateral ties.

The Wuhan summit is aimed at giving an "honest try" by the two leaders to work out an understanding at the top on the future course of relations to navigate through the maze of differences and build strategic trust and communication between themselves, they said.

It will be the fourth visit by Modi to China since he took over power in 2014 and a second bilateral visit. He made first bilateral visit in 2015 followed by a visit to Hangzhou to take part in the G-20 summit in 2016 and BRICS summit in Xiamen last year.

He is again due to visit Chinese city of Qingdao in June this year to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

The two leaders decided to meet ahead of SCO meet as the summit of the eight-member group will offer little time and space for a lengthy interaction, the sources said.

The Modi-Xi meeting has been worked out by both sides following an understanding between the two governments that positive relations without much of tensions are most important for the development of both the countries.

While China sees India as a country of faster economic growth and safe destination for Chinese investments, and regard good ties with it is important for its peaceful rise, the thinking in India too is that peaceful relations with China is important for the progress of initiatives like the 'Make in India', they said.

At their summit, the two leaders were expected to have a "heart-to- heart" chat and look at the big picture of the bilateral ties, they said.

The summit is taking place as Xi, now regarded as the most powerful leader of China is poised for a longer tenure in the office after the last month's removal of the two-term limit for President.&nbsp

The summit provides an opportunity for the 64-year-old Chinese leader to elaborate on the contours of his oft-stated Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, while Modi was expected to highlight the importance of campaigns like the 'Make in India' and his vision of "Vasudeva Kutumbakam", (world as a single family) they said.&nbsp

The Modi-Xi summit meeting is taking place in the backdrop of a series of high level interactions between both the two countries starting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India in December, the first after the Dokalam standoff.

It was followed by two meetings between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi and the visit early this year by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing.

 
&nbsp

It will be the fourth visit by Modi to China since he took over power in 2014 and a second bilateral visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in China's Wuhan city from April 27 to 28 for a "heart-to-heart" chat to explore a new paradigm for India-China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues like the border dispute. Conceived on the lines of the ice-breaking visit undertaken by late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 and his far-reaching talks with China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, setting a new tone for the relations after the 1962 war, the Xi-Modi dialogue in the central Chinese city of Wuhan was aimed at a working a new paradigm for the bilateral relations for the next 15 years, informed sources told PTI here. At the "informal summit" with a few officials and aides at a picturesque location, the two leaders plan to spend several hours exchanging their vision and perspectives about global and domestic scenarios and explore ideas to address the contentious bilateral issues like the border dispute, they said. The talks will focus on adhering to the principle that both countries should be sensitive to each other's concerns and aspirations, the sources said. At the summit, Modi and Xi will try to work out a general framework for relations to move ahead without much of great expectations about the outcome, they said. It is a leadership-driven summit, providing a leadership driven-direction and a way forward to more stable bilateral ties, the sources said. While no major agreements were expected to be reached at the summit, the two leaders will have candid talks on the contentious issues like Xi's pet project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) whose flagship project, the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a major stumbling block for the bilateral ties. India protested about CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) disregarding India's sovereignty concerns. Last year turned out to be an extremely complex and difficult year for Sino-Indian ties with a host of festering differences like China blocking India's entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as attempts to list Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar as a terrorist by the UN. The 73-day standoff at Dokalam also hit bilateral ties. The Wuhan summit is aimed at giving an "honest try" by the two leaders to work out an understanding at the top on the future course of relations to navigate through the maze of differences and build strategic trust and communication between themselves, they said. It will be the fourth visit by Modi to China since he took over power in 2014 and a second bilateral visit. He made first bilateral visit in 2015 followed by a visit to Hangzhou to take part in the G-20 summit in 2016 and BRICS summit in Xiamen last year. He is again due to visit Chinese city of Qingdao in June this year to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The two leaders decided to meet ahead of SCO meet as the summit of the eight-member group will offer little time and space for a lengthy interaction, the sources said. The Modi-Xi meeting has been worked out by both sides following an understanding between the two governments that positive relations without much of tensions are most important for the development of both the countries. While China sees India as a country of faster economic growth and safe destination for Chinese investments, and regard good ties with it is important for its peaceful rise, the thinking in India too is that peaceful relations with China is important for the progress of initiatives like the 'Make in India', they said. At their summit, the two leaders were expected to have a "heart-to- heart" chat and look at the big picture of the bilateral ties, they said. The summit is taking place as Xi, now regarded as the most powerful leader of China is poised for a longer tenure in the office after the last month's removal of the two-term limit for President. The summit provides an opportunity for the 64-year-old Chinese leader to elaborate on the contours of his oft-stated Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, while Modi was expected to highlight the importance of campaigns like the 'Make in India' and his vision of "Vasudeva Kutumbakam", (world as a single family) they said. The Modi-Xi summit meeting is taking place in the backdrop of a series of high level interactions between both the two countries starting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India in December, the first after the Dokalam standoff. It was followed by two meetings between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi and the visit early this year by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing.

Modi-Xi to chart a new course for India-China ties at Wuhan summit

President Xi Jinping has called for tightened internet laws to ensure social and economic stability in the country. In a recent statement, the Chinese President noted that there can be no national security without web security.&nbsp;

The Jinping-led government is known for monitoring and censoring online content in the country. Worried about the growing influence of the internet on the younger generation China has increasingly tightened its grip on the internet.

"Without web security, there's no national security, there's no economic and social stability, and it's difficult to ensure the interests of the broader masses," Xinhua cited Xi as saying.

"We cannot let the internet become a platform for disseminating harmful information and stirring up trouble with rumours," he added in comments made at a cybersecurity conference in Beijing.

Earlier this month, reports emerged stating that a Chinese microblogging website, Sina Weibo, was removing "homosexual" content from its platform. The move, which enraged the online gay community in China, prompted a storm of online protests. The hashtag "I am gay" took over the Chinese social media.

The ruling Communist Party has been aiming to purge the internet of content that deviates from its "core values of socialism".&nbsp;

The Chinese kingpins, who sought to get rid of the presidential term limit for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, made headlines a few months back for reportedly banning the English alphabet 'N' and recently the world-famous cartoon character, the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh from its online territories.&nbsp;

Letter 'N' was temporarily banned. Many suggested Chinese censors targetted the mathematical expression of disapproval -- as the expression “N > 2” in mathematics has 'N' as an unknown signifier for an unknown quantity, here referring to Xi’s possible presidential tenure.&nbsp;

China is also looking to take a leading role globally in internet regulation and technology more broadly, which has come into sharp focus amid a trade standoff with the United States and an arms race over technology.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

The ruling Communist Party has been aiming to purge the internet of content that deviates from its 'core values of socialism'

President Xi Jinping has called for tightened internet laws to ensure social and economic stability in the country. In a recent statement, the Chinese President noted that there can be no national security without web security. The Jinping-led government is known for monitoring and censoring online content in the country. Worried about the growing influence of the internet on the younger generation China has increasingly tightened its grip on the internet. "Without web security, there's no national security, there's no economic and social stability, and it's difficult to ensure the interests of the broader masses," Xinhua cited Xi as saying. "We cannot let the internet become a platform for disseminating harmful information and stirring up trouble with rumours," he added in comments made at a cybersecurity conference in Beijing. Earlier this month, reports emerged stating that a Chinese microblogging website, Sina Weibo, was removing "homosexual" content from its platform. The move, which enraged the online gay community in China, prompted a storm of online protests. The hashtag "I am gay" took over the Chinese social media. The ruling Communist Party has been aiming to purge the internet of content that deviates from its "core values of socialism". The Chinese kingpins, who sought to get rid of the presidential term limit for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, made headlines a few months back for reportedly banning the English alphabet 'N' and recently the world-famous cartoon character, the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh from its online territories. Letter 'N' was temporarily banned. Many suggested Chinese censors targetted the mathematical expression of disapproval -- as the expression “N > 2” in mathematics has 'N' as an unknown signifier for an unknown quantity, here referring to Xi’s possible presidential tenure. China is also looking to take a leading role globally in internet regulation and technology more broadly, which has come into sharp focus amid a trade standoff with the United States and an arms race over technology. (With inputs from Reuters)

There's no national security without web security: China's Xi calls for stricter internet control 

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Taiwan's business community on Tuesday to shun any idea of independence for their island and to promote peace and stable ties with the mainland, state media reported.

Ties between Beijing and self-ruled Taiwan have been frosty since the independence-leaning Diplomatic Progressive Party (DPP) won a Taiwan election in 2016, defeating the nationalist Kuomintang party.

Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control.

"Friends in the island's business community should take a stand and firmly maintain the '1992 consensus', oppose 'Taiwan independence' and firmly promote the peace and stability of cross-straits relations," Xi told the chairman of a foundation that promotes trade between China and Taiwan.

The "1992 consensus" refers to an agreement reached that year that both sides are part of "one China", a cherished principle in Beijing.

Xi made the remarks to Vincent Siew, a former vice-president of the Kuomintang and head of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, on the sidelines of the Chinese Boao Forum for Asia on Hainan island.

"The Taiwan problem is of great concern for the basic interests of the Chinese nation," Xi told Siew, according to a report of their talk from the official People's Daily newspaper.

"We hope that compatriots across the straights can together shoulder the virtuous cause of the nation and push for the peaceful reunification of the motherland."

Xi said in a speech to China's annual meeting of parliament in March that Taiwan would face the "punishment of history" for any attempts at separatism, his strongest on the issue warning yet.

China fears DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen wants will push for formal independence, though Tsai says she wants to maintain the status quo and is committed to peace.

Overtures by the administration of US President Donald Trump towards strengthening ties with the island have ratcheted up the tension.

China repeatedly says that the US acceptance that Taiwan and China are one country is the political bedrock for healthy ties between them.&nbsp

China opposes any semblance of formal military or diplomatic ties between the United States and Taiwan.

China said on Monday it opposed the United States selling weapons to Taiwan, after the Trump administration approved the marketing licence required for US manufacturers to sell technology to Taiwan that would allow for building submarines. 
&nbsp

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Taiwan's business community on Tuesday to shun any idea of independence for their island and to promote peace and stable ties with the mainland, state media reported

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Taiwan's business community on Tuesday to shun any idea of independence for their island and to promote peace and stable ties with the mainland, state media reported. Ties between Beijing and self-ruled Taiwan have been frosty since the independence-leaning Diplomatic Progressive Party (DPP) won a Taiwan election in 2016, defeating the nationalist Kuomintang party. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control. "Friends in the island's business community should take a stand and firmly maintain the '1992 consensus', oppose 'Taiwan independence' and firmly promote the peace and stability of cross-straits relations," Xi told the chairman of a foundation that promotes trade between China and Taiwan. The "1992 consensus" refers to an agreement reached that year that both sides are part of "one China", a cherished principle in Beijing. Xi made the remarks to Vincent Siew, a former vice-president of the Kuomintang and head of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, on the sidelines of the Chinese Boao Forum for Asia on Hainan island. "The Taiwan problem is of great concern for the basic interests of the Chinese nation," Xi told Siew, according to a report of their talk from the official People's Daily newspaper. "We hope that compatriots across the straights can together shoulder the virtuous cause of the nation and push for the peaceful reunification of the motherland." Xi said in a speech to China's annual meeting of parliament in March that Taiwan would face the "punishment of history" for any attempts at separatism, his strongest on the issue warning yet. China fears DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen wants will push for formal independence, though Tsai says she wants to maintain the status quo and is committed to peace. Overtures by the administration of US President Donald Trump towards strengthening ties with the island have ratcheted up the tension. China repeatedly says that the US acceptance that Taiwan and China are one country is the political bedrock for healthy ties between them. China opposes any semblance of formal military or diplomatic ties between the United States and Taiwan. China said on Monday it opposed the United States selling weapons to Taiwan, after the Trump administration approved the marketing licence required for US manufacturers to sell technology to Taiwan that would allow for building submarines.

XI Jinping urges Taiwan business community to oppose independence

Benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 130 points today, continuing its rising streak for the fourth straight day, on firm global leads after Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech eased worries over a trade war.

The 30-share Sensex was trading higher by 130.31 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 33,918.85, with all the sectoral indices rising up to 1.80 per cent.

The gauge had gained 774.47 points in the previous three sessions.

The NSE Nifty breached the 10,400-mark, up 38.80 points, or 0.37 per cent, at 10,418.15.

Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 359.35 crore yesterday, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained sellers and offloaded shares worth Rs 1,300.93 crore as per provisional data.

A firm trend in other Asian markets after Chinese President Xi Jinping eased worries over a simmering US trade conflict by promising new measures to open his country's massive economy "wider and wider" boosted investor sentiment here, brokers said.

The rupee's appreciation against the dollar and widening of bets by investors amid optimism ahead of earnings season also supported the uptrend, they said.

Major gainers included Axis Bank, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, L&T, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Kotak Bank, TCS, Power Grid, Bajaj Auto, Sun Pharma and Reliance Industries, gaining up to 2.41 per cent.

In the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei gained 1.08 per cent and Shanghai Composite rose 0.75 per cent in early trading today while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.82 per cent.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.19 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 130 points today, continuing its rising streak for the fourth straight day, on firm global leads after Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech eased worries over a trade war

Benchmark BSE Sensex advanced over 130 points today, continuing its rising streak for the fourth straight day, on firm global leads after Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech eased worries over a trade war. The 30-share Sensex was trading higher by 130.31 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 33,918.85, with all the sectoral indices rising up to 1.80 per cent. The gauge had gained 774.47 points in the previous three sessions. The NSE Nifty breached the 10,400-mark, up 38.80 points, or 0.37 per cent, at 10,418.15. Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 359.35 crore yesterday, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained sellers and offloaded shares worth Rs 1,300.93 crore as per provisional data. A firm trend in other Asian markets after Chinese President Xi Jinping eased worries over a simmering US trade conflict by promising new measures to open his country's massive economy "wider and wider" boosted investor sentiment here, brokers said. The rupee's appreciation against the dollar and widening of bets by investors amid optimism ahead of earnings season also supported the uptrend, they said. Major gainers included Axis Bank, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, L&T, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Kotak Bank, TCS, Power Grid, Bajaj Auto, Sun Pharma and Reliance Industries, gaining up to 2.41 per cent. In the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei gained 1.08 per cent and Shanghai Composite rose 0.75 per cent in early trading today while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.82 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.19 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

Sensex rises over 100 points on firm global cues, Nifty tops 10,400

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-xi-kim-meeting-trump-says-north-korean-leader-will-do-what-is-right-for-his-people-and-for-humanity-126805">After Xi, Kim meeting, Trump says North Korean leader 'will do what is right for his people and for humanity'</a>

As Kim Jong Un met China's President Xi in Beijing in a secret, President Trump in a tweet said the North Korean leader will do "what is right and move toward peace".

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cbse-exam-paper-leak-pm-modi-asks-hrd-minister-to-take-strict-action-126790">CBSE exam paper leak: PM Modi asks HRD minister to take 'strict action'</a>

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be reconducting the Economics exam for Class XII and Mathematics exam for Class X after reports of paper leak surfaced.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/king-of-good-times-vijay-mallya-to-get-married-to-girlfriend-pinky-lalwani-126809">'King of Good Times' Vijay Mallya to get married to girlfriend Pinky Lalwani</a>

Vijay Mallya, popularly referred to as the ‘King of Good Times’ who was believed to be going through a rough patch owing to his loan fraud with Indian banks and money laundering issues, is after all not having such a bad time in the UK.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/israels-el-al-appeals-against-air-india-flights-over-saudi-arabia-126815">Israel's El Al appeals against Air India flights over Saudi</a>

Israel's national airline El Al appealed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to cancel the authorisation of direct Air India flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv via Saudi airspace fearing financial damage to it and view it as aerial discrimination.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/now-bcci-snubs-smith-warner-over-ball-tampering-126786">Now, BCCI snubs Smith, Warner over ball-tampering</a>

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has removed Steve Smith and David Warner from the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League and said that the franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, will get the replacements.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-to-introduce-new-privacy-controls-in-wake-of-data-scandal-126804">Facebook to introduce new privacy controls in wake of data scandal</a>

Facebook, embroiled in a huge data scandal which has wiped off over $100 billion in its market value, on Wednesday announced a series of privacy changes it was making to give users more control over their data.

After Xi, Kim meeting, Trump says North Korean leader 'will do what is right for his people and for humanity' As Kim Jong Un met China's President Xi in Beijing in a secret, President Trump in a tweet said the North Korean leader will do "what is right and move toward peace". CBSE exam paper leak: PM Modi asks HRD minister to take 'strict action' The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be reconducting the Economics exam for Class XII and Mathematics exam for Class X after reports of paper leak surfaced. 'King of Good Times' Vijay Mallya to get married to girlfriend Pinky Lalwani Vijay Mallya, popularly referred to as the ‘King of Good Times’ who was believed to be going through a rough patch owing to his loan fraud with Indian banks and money laundering issues, is after all not having such a bad time in the UK. Israel's El Al appeals against Air India flights over Saudi Israel's national airline El Al appealed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to cancel the authorisation of direct Air India flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv via Saudi airspace fearing financial damage to it and view it as aerial discrimination. Now, BCCI snubs Smith, Warner over ball-tampering The Board of Control for Cricket in India has removed Steve Smith and David Warner from the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League and said that the franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, will get the replacements. Facebook to introduce new privacy controls in wake of data scandal Facebook, embroiled in a huge data scandal which has wiped off over $100 billion in its market value, on Wednesday announced a series of privacy changes it was making to give users more control over their data.

WION evening news brief, March 28, 2018

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday said the historic meeting between the leaders of China and North Korea had gone 'very well' and that Kim Jong Un is eager to hold a summit with Trump.

"Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me," Trump tweeted.

"In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!," he added after Kim concluded a secretive three-day meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday said the historic meeting between the leaders of China and North Korea had gone 'very well' and that Kim Jong Un is eager to hold a summit with Trump

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday said the historic meeting between the leaders of China and North Korea had gone 'very well' and that Kim Jong Un is eager to hold a summit with Trump. "Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me," Trump tweeted. "In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!," he added after Kim concluded a secretive three-day meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping.

Trump says Xi-Kim meeting went 'very well,' Kim eager to meet him

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China, countering what had been growing estrangement between the Cold War allies, is likely to bolster Pyongyang's leverage going into a planned summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the meeting with a long-troublesome neighbour ensures Beijing will not be left out of any deal struck between the United States and North and South Korea, experts said.

Months of frosty relations between Beijing and Pyongyang appeared suddenly to thaw with Kim's secretive trip, which saw the Chinese capital go into security lockdown as the mysterious North Korean delegation toured the city.

China said Kim had pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula while North Korean state media said Xi had accepted "with pleasure" an invitation to visit the North.

Kim's meeting with Xi strengthens North Korea's negotiating position by aligning the two nations ahead of Trump and Kim's planned meeting, said Wang Peng, a North Korea expert at the Charhar Institute in Beijing.

"North Korea is seeking assurances," he said. "They want to quickly mend ties with China so that they have more leeway with the United States and they have more confidence in a good outcome."

Analysts say North Korea has been hurt by tightening UN sanctions and would need Beijing's support for any softening of trade restrictions.

China wanted to show its importance as a partner to North Korea and ease worries about being sidelined in negotiations between the Koreas the United States.

“At the end of the day, China’s got huge interests and it was not comfortable not being at the table,” said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center in Beijing and a White House representative to the Six Party Talks from 2007-2009.

“Kim Jong Un's first meeting with a head of state was with the Chinese president, which frankly from the Chinese perspective is exactly the right thing,” he added.

Trump's decision to hire hardliners such as incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton may have put added pressure on North Korea before the summit, said Han Suk-hee, professor of Chinese Studies at Yonsei University.

"It seems that North Korea is not ready to deal with the United States without support and help from its longtime ally China," he said.&nbsp

China, as well as being North Korea's biggest trade partner, also has key strategic interest in assuring its isolated neighbour remains a buffer between it and South Korea, home to 28,500 US troops.&nbsp

The two nations also have long-standing emotional and historic ties. China sometimes says they are "blood brothers", having fought side-by-side in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The two remained close allies in the decades immediately after the Korean War, but have drifted apart since Kim succeeded his late father. 
North Korea`s rapid escalation of nuclear tests and missile launches, combined with the assassination of Kim`s half-brother last year in a Kuala Lumpur airport, brought diplomatic ties between Beijing and Pyongyang to historic lows.

With China signing on to ever-stricter United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, North Korean state media took to openly criticizing and even threatening China.

"China is ... the only state willing and able to immediately ease North Korea`s economic burden," said Christopher Green, senior adviser at International Crisis Group. North Korea was not prepared to give up its close relationship with China, much as it may chafe at its economic and political reliance on its much bigger neighbour, he added.

With North and South Korean relations improving during the Winter Olympics and plans for summits involving Trump, Moon and Kim, Beijing had reasons to resume contact with North Korea that had all but disappeared in the past year.

Xi stressed to Kim that past Chinese and North Korean leaders had always visited each other "as often as relatives", proposing the two leaders set up new channels of communication, China`s official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.&nbsp

Chinese state media has cast Beijing as crucial to forcing talks between Trump and Kim with its "freeze for freeze" pitch for North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile tests, and South Korea and the United States to suspend military drills.

"It's extremely difficult for the US to map out a feasible denuclearisation process that meets the North Korean preconditions without China's support and involvement," said Cheng Xiaohe, a North Korea expert at Renmin University in Beijing. "China wants to show it cannot be left out."&nbsp

Speaking at a banquet hosted by Xi, Kim Jong Un expressed gratitude to China for readily accepting his proposal to visit and all the efforts Chinese leaders made to pave the way for a successful visit in a short period of time, according to the North`s official KCNA news agency.

China remains an advocate for a dual track of pressure and greater dialogue with North Korea, a position at odds with the Trump administration`s maximal pressure approach.

That disagreement had left Beijing sidelined amid the escalating crisis, shunning a meeting of foreign ministers in Canada where leaders discussed how to pressure the North into backing down.

North Korea may also be taking advantage of tensions in US-China relations over trade and the disputed South China Sea to draw in Beijing, Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at China`s Peking University&nbsp

"China wants North Korea to denuclearise but does not want to alienate North Korea at a time when China-US relations are deteriorating very fast," said Jia, who has advised the government on foreign policy.

"We want a denuclearized North Korea, but at the same time we want North Korea to be a friend."

Analysts say North Korea has been hurt by tightening UN sanctions and would need Beijing's support for any softening of trade restrictions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China, countering what had been growing estrangement between the Cold War allies, is likely to bolster Pyongyang's leverage going into a planned summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump. For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the meeting with a long-troublesome neighbour ensures Beijing will not be left out of any deal struck between the United States and North and South Korea, experts said. Months of frosty relations between Beijing and Pyongyang appeared suddenly to thaw with Kim's secretive trip, which saw the Chinese capital go into security lockdown as the mysterious North Korean delegation toured the city. China said Kim had pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula while North Korean state media said Xi had accepted "with pleasure" an invitation to visit the North. Kim's meeting with Xi strengthens North Korea's negotiating position by aligning the two nations ahead of Trump and Kim's planned meeting, said Wang Peng, a North Korea expert at the Charhar Institute in Beijing. "North Korea is seeking assurances," he said. "They want to quickly mend ties with China so that they have more leeway with the United States and they have more confidence in a good outcome." Analysts say North Korea has been hurt by tightening UN sanctions and would need Beijing's support for any softening of trade restrictions. China wanted to show its importance as a partner to North Korea and ease worries about being sidelined in negotiations between the Koreas the United States. “At the end of the day, China’s got huge interests and it was not comfortable not being at the table,” said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center in Beijing and a White House representative to the Six Party Talks from 2007-2009. “Kim Jong Un's first meeting with a head of state was with the Chinese president, which frankly from the Chinese perspective is exactly the right thing,” he added. Trump's decision to hire hardliners such as incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton may have put added pressure on North Korea before the summit, said Han Suk-hee, professor of Chinese Studies at Yonsei University. "It seems that North Korea is not ready to deal with the United States without support and help from its longtime ally China," he said. China, as well as being North Korea's biggest trade partner, also has key strategic interest in assuring its isolated neighbour remains a buffer between it and South Korea, home to 28,500 US troops. The two nations also have long-standing emotional and historic ties. China sometimes says they are "blood brothers", having fought side-by-side in the 1950-53 Korean War. The two remained close allies in the decades immediately after the Korean War, but have drifted apart since Kim succeeded his late father. North Korea`s rapid escalation of nuclear tests and missile launches, combined with the assassination of Kim`s half-brother last year in a Kuala Lumpur airport, brought diplomatic ties between Beijing and Pyongyang to historic lows. With China signing on to ever-stricter United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, North Korean state media took to openly criticizing and even threatening China. "China is ... the only state willing and able to immediately ease North Korea`s economic burden," said Christopher Green, senior adviser at International Crisis Group. North Korea was not prepared to give up its close relationship with China, much as it may chafe at its economic and political reliance on its much bigger neighbour, he added. With North and South Korean relations improving during the Winter Olympics and plans for summits involving Trump, Moon and Kim, Beijing had reasons to resume contact with North Korea that had all but disappeared in the past year. Xi stressed to Kim that past Chinese and North Korean leaders had always visited each other "as often as relatives", proposing the two leaders set up new channels of communication, China`s official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. Chinese state media has cast Beijing as crucial to forcing talks between Trump and Kim with its "freeze for freeze" pitch for North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile tests, and South Korea and the United States to suspend military drills. "It's extremely difficult for the US to map out a feasible denuclearisation process that meets the North Korean preconditions without China's support and involvement," said Cheng Xiaohe, a North Korea expert at Renmin University in Beijing. "China wants to show it cannot be left out." Speaking at a banquet hosted by Xi, Kim Jong Un expressed gratitude to China for readily accepting his proposal to visit and all the efforts Chinese leaders made to pave the way for a successful visit in a short period of time, according to the North`s official KCNA news agency. China remains an advocate for a dual track of pressure and greater dialogue with North Korea, a position at odds with the Trump administration`s maximal pressure approach. That disagreement had left Beijing sidelined amid the escalating crisis, shunning a meeting of foreign ministers in Canada where leaders discussed how to pressure the North into backing down. North Korea may also be taking advantage of tensions in US-China relations over trade and the disputed South China Sea to draw in Beijing, Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at China`s Peking University "China wants North Korea to denuclearise but does not want to alienate North Korea at a time when China-US relations are deteriorating very fast," said Jia, who has advised the government on foreign policy. "We want a denuclearized North Korea, but at the same time we want North Korea to be a friend."

With secretive China trip, North Korea's Kim builds bargaining power

Any change of status quo along the India-China border may lead to another Doklam-like crisis, India&#39;s envoy in Beijing has cautioned even as he asserted there was &quot;no change&quot; at the standoff site even though the PLA may be reinforcing its troops &quot;well behind the sensitive area&quot;.

Gautam Bambawale said though &quot;no change&quot; has taken place in the standoff site at Doklam after it was resolved last year, he squarely blamed China for the crisis saying it happened because Beijing tried to alter the &quot;status quo&quot; which it should not have.

The 73-day standoff ended on August 28 last year after China agreed to halt the road building activities by PLA troops at Doklam in Sikkim sector.

&quot;No, I can tell you that you in Doklam area, which we call close proximity or sometimes the face-off site, the area where there was close confrontation or close proximity between Indian and Chinese military troops, that there is no change taking place today,&quot; Bambawale said reacting to reports of the Chinese military stepping up infrastructure build-up in the area.

&quot;Maybe behind, the Chinese may be putting more military barracks to put in more soldiers, but that is well behind the sensitive area,&quot; he said in a wide-ranging interview to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

&quot;Those are the things you&#39;re free to do and we are also free to do, because you&#39;re doing it inside your territory and we are doing it inside our territory,&quot; he said.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese soldiers from building a road close to India&#39;s narrow &#39;Chicken&#39;s Neck&#39; corridor that connects the northeastern states. Besides China, the area is also claimed by Bhutan.

Recent reports said the Chinese military is trying to work around or outflank Indian troops in the Doklam area.

Bambawale defended India&#39;s decision to stop Chinese troops from building the road saying no attempt should be made to change the status quo.

&quot;If anyone changes the status quo, it will lead to a situation like what happened in Doklam. I can tell you very frankly and you can quote me on this. The Chinese military changed the status quo in the

Doklam area and therefore India reacted to it. Ours was a reaction to the change in the status quo by the Chinese military,&quot; he said, adding that China should inform India about such initiatives in sensitive areas.

He called for delineation of the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) which China has refused earlier.

&quot;The India-China boundary is un-demarcated and un-delineated, so we have to talk to each other to delineate and demarcate it, which means to draw the boundary line. Now in the meantime, while we are discussing where the boundary will lie, both China and India have agreed that we should maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,&quot; he said.

He said at present both countries are having &quot;a lot of dialogue&quot; especially at the political level, and also at the economic level, as he welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi&#39;s recent comments that the Indian elephant and the Chinese dragon must not fight but dance together.

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) in June during which there will &quot;definitely&quot; be a bilateral meeting between him and President Xi Jinping.

The summit is due to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9-10.

&quot;During that, we will definitely have bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping. And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings,&quot; Bambawale said.

&quot;We will have a whole series of meetings in the next few weeks and months,&quot; he said adding that the boundary officials of both the countries will also meet.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said she will visit China next month. The foreign ministers of the SCO countries are also due to meet before the summit.

About the forays being made by China into India&#39;s neighbourhood, he said New Delhi is not worried about it as it has strong relationships with its neighbours.

He also said South Asian countries are free to have relationships with any country including China.

&quot;Let me tell you very clearly that India has its own relationships with all these countries. These are very strong relationships and India is also doing a lot of projects in all these countries, such as the Maldives, Nepal or Sri Lanka,&quot; he said.

He also spoke of India&#39;s strong reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is part of China&#39;s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and called for candid talks to resolve the differences.

&quot;When we talk about development projects or connectivity projects, they must be transparent, fair and equal. There are certain internationally accepted norms for such projects,&quot; he said in apparent reference to criticism that the BRI projects lacks transparency.

&quot;If a project meets those norms, we will be happy to take part in it. One of the norms is the project should not violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country. Unfortunately, there is this thing called CPEC, which is called a flagship project of BRI, which violates India&#39;s sovereignty and territory integrity. Therefore, we oppose it,&quot; he said.

The USD 50 billion CPEC traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Gautam Bambawale said though 'no change' has taken place in the standoff site at Doklam after it was resolved last year

Any change of status quo along the India-China border may lead to another Doklam-like crisis, India's envoy in Beijing has cautioned even as he asserted there was "no change" at the standoff site even though the PLA may be reinforcing its troops "well behind the sensitive area". Gautam Bambawale said though "no change" has taken place in the standoff site at Doklam after it was resolved last year, he squarely blamed China for the crisis saying it happened because Beijing tried to alter the "status quo" which it should not have. The 73-day standoff ended on August 28 last year after China agreed to halt the road building activities by PLA troops at Doklam in Sikkim sector. "No, I can tell you that you in Doklam area, which we call close proximity or sometimes the face-off site, the area where there was close confrontation or close proximity between Indian and Chinese military troops, that there is no change taking place today," Bambawale said reacting to reports of the Chinese military stepping up infrastructure build-up in the area. "Maybe behind, the Chinese may be putting more military barracks to put in more soldiers, but that is well behind the sensitive area," he said in a wide-ranging interview to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. "Those are the things you're free to do and we are also free to do, because you're doing it inside your territory and we are doing it inside our territory," he said. Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese soldiers from building a road close to India's narrow 'Chicken's Neck' corridor that connects the northeastern states. Besides China, the area is also claimed by Bhutan. Recent reports said the Chinese military is trying to work around or outflank Indian troops in the Doklam area. Bambawale defended India's decision to stop Chinese troops from building the road saying no attempt should be made to change the status quo. "If anyone changes the status quo, it will lead to a situation like what happened in Doklam. I can tell you very frankly and you can quote me on this. The Chinese military changed the status quo in the Doklam area and therefore India reacted to it. Ours was a reaction to the change in the status quo by the Chinese military," he said, adding that China should inform India about such initiatives in sensitive areas. He called for delineation of the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) which China has refused earlier. "The India-China boundary is un-demarcated and un-delineated, so we have to talk to each other to delineate and demarcate it, which means to draw the boundary line. Now in the meantime, while we are discussing where the boundary will lie, both China and India have agreed that we should maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said. He said at present both countries are having "a lot of dialogue" especially at the political level, and also at the economic level, as he welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent comments that the Indian elephant and the Chinese dragon must not fight but dance together. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) in June during which there will "definitely" be a bilateral meeting between him and President Xi Jinping. The summit is due to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9-10. "During that, we will definitely have bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping. And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings," Bambawale said. "We will have a whole series of meetings in the next few weeks and months," he said adding that the boundary officials of both the countries will also meet. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said she will visit China next month. The foreign ministers of the SCO countries are also due to meet before the summit. About the forays being made by China into India's neighbourhood, he said New Delhi is not worried about it as it has strong relationships with its neighbours. He also said South Asian countries are free to have relationships with any country including China. "Let me tell you very clearly that India has its own relationships with all these countries. These are very strong relationships and India is also doing a lot of projects in all these countries, such as the Maldives, Nepal or Sri Lanka," he said. He also spoke of India's strong reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is part of China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and called for candid talks to resolve the differences. "When we talk about development projects or connectivity projects, they must be transparent, fair and equal. There are certain internationally accepted norms for such projects," he said in apparent reference to criticism that the BRI projects lacks transparency. "If a project meets those norms, we will be happy to take part in it. One of the norms is the project should not violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country. Unfortunately, there is this thing called CPEC, which is called a flagship project of BRI, which violates India's sovereignty and territory integrity. Therefore, we oppose it," he said. The USD 50 billion CPEC traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Don't change status quo on border to avert another Doklam: India's envoy

&nbsp;Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China to take part in the SCO summit in June during which there will &quot;definitely&quot; be a bilateral meeting between him and President Xi Jinping, India&#39;s envoy Gautam Bambawale has said.

&quot;During that (SCO summit), we will definitely have a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping. And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings,&quot; said Bambawale in an interview to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a China-dominated security grouping, is increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO.

The SCO summit is due to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9-10.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi&nbsp;congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone on his re-election for another five years and discussed efforts by both the countries to enhance high-level exchanges and deepen bilateral cooperation.&nbsp;

Both India and China are ancient civilisations with global influence,&nbsp;India will work with China to enhance high-level exchanges, deepen bilateral ties, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs to further a closer developmental partnership between the two countries and promote global and regional peace and development, according to the report.&nbsp;

In an interview to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Bambawale said: &quot;During that (SCO summit), we will definitely have a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping.&nbsp;And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings&quot;.

&quot;We will have a whole series of meetings in the next few weeks and months,&quot; the envoy said, adding that the boundary officials of both the countries will also be meeting.

&quot;We are having these meetings to have candid and frank discussions,&quot; Bambawale said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said that she would visit China next month.

The Foreign Ministers of the SCO countries are also due to meet before the summit.

Last year, Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand off for over two months at the Dokalam area in Sikkim section. The face off ended on August 28.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The SCO summit is due to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9-10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China to take part in the SCO summit in June during which there will "definitely" be a bilateral meeting between him and President Xi Jinping, India's envoy Gautam Bambawale has said. "During that (SCO summit), we will definitely have a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping. And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings," said Bambawale in an interview to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a China-dominated security grouping, is increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO. The SCO summit is due to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9-10. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone on his re-election for another five years and discussed efforts by both the countries to enhance high-level exchanges and deepen bilateral cooperation. Both India and China are ancient civilisations with global influence, India will work with China to enhance high-level exchanges, deepen bilateral ties, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs to further a closer developmental partnership between the two countries and promote global and regional peace and development, according to the report. In an interview to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Bambawale said: "During that (SCO summit), we will definitely have a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping. And before that happens we want to have a lot of other meetings". "We will have a whole series of meetings in the next few weeks and months," the envoy said, adding that the boundary officials of both the countries will also be meeting. "We are having these meetings to have candid and frank discussions," Bambawale said. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said that she would visit China next month. The Foreign Ministers of the SCO countries are also due to meet before the summit. Last year, Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand off for over two months at the Dokalam area in Sikkim section. The face off ended on August 28.

Modi-Xi will 'definitely' meet during SCO summit: India's envoy

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the &quot;theft&quot; of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months.

Spokesman Raj Shah told AFP that Trump will announce actions following an &quot;investigation into China&#39;s state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property.&quot;

According to his schedule, released by the White House on Wednesday evening, he will sign &quot;a Presidential Memorandum targeting China&#39;s economic aggression.&quot;

Beijing has already warned the Trump administration against the move, urging him not act &quot;emotionally.&quot;

It is just weeks since Trump short-circuited White House deliberations and announced a raft of sanctions on foreign-produced steel and aluminum off the cuff.

That move prompted the resignation of top economic advisor Gary Cohn, a global stock market selloff, legal disputes and threats of retaliatory measures.

On Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the prospect of a trade war was a growing threat to the world&#39;s largest economy.

But the impulsive president is showing no sign of backing down.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently put a separate proposed package of $30 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports on Trump&#39;s desk.

And Trump appears to have agreed to at least that amount, as he tries to fulfil campaign promises to get tough on &quot;cheating&quot; by US trade partners, which he says have destroyed American jobs.

The US trade deficit with China ran to a record $375 billion last year -- but US exports to the country were also at a record.

Washington has long accused Beijing of forcing US companies to turn over proprietary commercial information and intellectual property as a condition of operating in China.

Trump claims to have built up a generally good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping whom he has praised for his role in pressuring North Korea over its nuclear program.

However, the trade dispute threatens to cast a pall over those relations, especially given the recent warnings from Beijing.

A laundry list of grievances 
A senior official in Lighthizer&#39;s office said Wednesday that the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations had attempted over the decades to coax China into respecting market economics and trade liberalization, but had all failed.

The Trump administration opened an investigation last August, acting on a series of allegations against China including that as a condition of doing business, China forces US companies to enter joint ventures and transfer technology and trade secrets to domestic partners and that US companies are not able to license intellectual property in China as freely as Chinese companies.

US officials also allege China has hacked US networks and conducted industrial espionage to steal US intellectual property.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his top economics advisor Liu He to Washington this month to discuss the tensions of trade, but the US official said that at no point had the Chinese made a constructive proposal.

&quot;Certainly by November, the background was such that officials in China had reason to know about the concerns we&#39;ve raised ... At least, as of today the administration has not been satisfied with the types of responses we&#39;ve been getting from China,&quot; the senior official in Lighthizer&#39;s office said, speaking on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters.

&quot;Obviously the president will have the final say in terms of what we end up doing here.&quot;

&quot;As a general matter, we do have very strong evidence that China uses foreign ownership restrictions such as joint venture requirements and foreign equity limitations to require or pressure technology transfer from US companies to Chinese entities,&quot; he added.

Tariffs talks 
Along with the announcement of that offensive, Washington also held out the possibility of a detente with regards to the EU, which reacted furiously to the news of steel and aluminum tariffs.

In a joint statement, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said they agreed to immediately begin &quot;a process of discussion&quot; on the tariffs and other matters &quot;with a view to identifying mutually acceptable outcomes as rapidly as possible.&quot;

Malmstrom had called for Europe to be exempted as a whole. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said he harbored &quot;cautious optimism&quot; on the prospects for a resolution.

The White House already said Canada and Mexico, which are major producers of the metals, will temporarily be exempt from the tariffs during talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A spokesman said Trump will announce actions following an 'investigation into China's state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property'

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the "theft" of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months. Spokesman Raj Shah told AFP that Trump will announce actions following an "investigation into China's state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property." According to his schedule, released by the White House on Wednesday evening, he will sign "a Presidential Memorandum targeting China's economic aggression." Beijing has already warned the Trump administration against the move, urging him not act "emotionally." It is just weeks since Trump short-circuited White House deliberations and announced a raft of sanctions on foreign-produced steel and aluminum off the cuff. That move prompted the resignation of top economic advisor Gary Cohn, a global stock market selloff, legal disputes and threats of retaliatory measures. On Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the prospect of a trade war was a growing threat to the world's largest economy. But the impulsive president is showing no sign of backing down. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently put a separate proposed package of $30 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports on Trump's desk. And Trump appears to have agreed to at least that amount, as he tries to fulfil campaign promises to get tough on "cheating" by US trade partners, which he says have destroyed American jobs. The US trade deficit with China ran to a record $375 billion last year -- but US exports to the country were also at a record. Washington has long accused Beijing of forcing US companies to turn over proprietary commercial information and intellectual property as a condition of operating in China. Trump claims to have built up a generally good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping whom he has praised for his role in pressuring North Korea over its nuclear program. However, the trade dispute threatens to cast a pall over those relations, especially given the recent warnings from Beijing. A laundry list of grievances A senior official in Lighthizer's office said Wednesday that the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations had attempted over the decades to coax China into respecting market economics and trade liberalization, but had all failed. The Trump administration opened an investigation last August, acting on a series of allegations against China including that as a condition of doing business, China forces US companies to enter joint ventures and transfer technology and trade secrets to domestic partners and that US companies are not able to license intellectual property in China as freely as Chinese companies. US officials also allege China has hacked US networks and conducted industrial espionage to steal US intellectual property. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his top economics advisor Liu He to Washington this month to discuss the tensions of trade, but the US official said that at no point had the Chinese made a constructive proposal. "Certainly by November, the background was such that officials in China had reason to know about the concerns we've raised ... At least, as of today the administration has not been satisfied with the types of responses we've been getting from China," the senior official in Lighthizer's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters. "Obviously the president will have the final say in terms of what we end up doing here." "As a general matter, we do have very strong evidence that China uses foreign ownership restrictions such as joint venture requirements and foreign equity limitations to require or pressure technology transfer from US companies to Chinese entities," he added. Tariffs talks Along with the announcement of that offensive, Washington also held out the possibility of a detente with regards to the EU, which reacted furiously to the news of steel and aluminum tariffs. In a joint statement, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said they agreed to immediately begin "a process of discussion" on the tariffs and other matters "with a view to identifying mutually acceptable outcomes as rapidly as possible." Malmstrom had called for Europe to be exempted as a whole. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said he harbored "cautious optimism" on the prospects for a resolution. The White House already said Canada and Mexico, which are major producers of the metals, will temporarily be exempt from the tariffs during talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump to announce trade sanctions against China on Thursday

President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalist speech on Tuesday, warning against any attempts to split China and touting the country&#39;s readiness to fight &quot;the bloody battle&quot; to regain its rightful place in the world.

Xi&#39;s address capped an annual session of the National People&#39;s Congress that paved the way for him to rule for life, as China&#39;s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong pushes through his vision of guiding the country through a &quot;new era&quot; of unrivalled global military and economic supremacy.

Days after President Donald Trump signed new rules allowing top-level US officials to travel to Taiwan, Xi warned that Beijing would defend its &quot;one China principle&quot;, which sees the self-ruling island as its territory awaiting reunification.

&quot;All acts and tricks to separate the country are doomed to fail and will be condemned by the people and punished by history,&quot; Xi said.

But he also sought to address concerns about ambitious Chinese development projects abroad, saying they &quot;will not pose a threat to any country.&quot;

&quot;Only those who are accustomed to threatening others will see everyone as a threat,&quot; he added.

Xi used the speech to espouse his vision of realising the &quot;rejuvenation of the Chinese nation&quot; -- the &quot;greatest dream&quot; of the world&#39;s second-largest economy.

&quot;The Chinese people have been indomitable and persistent, we have the spirit of fighting the bloody battle against our enemies to the bitter end,&quot; he said.

But his speech was also a reminder that the Communist Party, more than ever, reigns over the country&#39;s affairs.

&quot;History has already proven and will continue to prove that only socialism can save China,&quot; he said.

&quot;The Communist Party is the supreme political leadership of the country and the fundamental guarantee to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.&quot;

- Indefinite rule -

The two-week session of the National People&#39;s Congress handed Xi, 64, a second term and endorsed the Communist Party&#39;s decision to lift presidential term limits, clearing the way for him to remain in power indefinitely after his second term ends in 2023.

His eponymous political philosophy, which was enshrined in the party charter last year, was added to the national constitution and senior government officials had to swear an oath to the document for the first time.

Some of Xi&#39;s key lieutenants were also promoted to top positions. His former anti-corruption czar, Wang Qishan, was elevated to the vice presidency while his top economic adviser, Liu He, became vice premier.

Wang could use his experience as a trade negotiator to deal with rocky relations with the Trump administration, while Liu is expected to have an influential role in economic policymaking.

The legislature also approved the biggest government shake-up in years, merging the banking and insurance regulators to tackle financial risks, and amended the constitution to expand the Communist Party&#39;s role in the country&#39;s affairs.

Xi&#39;s campaign against corruption within the Communist Party, which punished 1.5 million officials in five years, was expanded as the legislature voted Tuesday to create a national agency that will scrutinise millions of public servants.

&quot;The Communist Party of China must... resolutely eliminate&quot; corruption, Xi said.

The government&#39;s propaganda machine worked in overdrive to nurture a cult of personality around Xi and stamp out dissenting views during the two-week session.

The People&#39;s Daily, the Communist Party&#39;s mouthpiece, referred to Xi as the &quot;helmsman&quot; last weekend, an echo of Mao who was known as &quot;the great helmsman&quot;.

The abolition of term limits triggered a rare bout of criticism on social media, prompting censors to block dozens of phrases such as &quot;I disagree&quot; or &quot;emperor&quot; as well as satirical images such as Winnie the Pooh -- the cartoon bear that some compare to Xi.

China has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening online restrictions and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers.

Xi used the speech to espouse his vision of realising the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" -- the "greatest dream" of the world's second-largest economy.

President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalist speech on Tuesday, warning against any attempts to split China and touting the country's readiness to fight "the bloody battle" to regain its rightful place in the world. Xi's address capped an annual session of the National People's Congress that paved the way for him to rule for life, as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong pushes through his vision of guiding the country through a "new era" of unrivalled global military and economic supremacy. Days after President Donald Trump signed new rules allowing top-level US officials to travel to Taiwan, Xi warned that Beijing would defend its "one China principle", which sees the self-ruling island as its territory awaiting reunification. "All acts and tricks to separate the country are doomed to fail and will be condemned by the people and punished by history," Xi said. But he also sought to address concerns about ambitious Chinese development projects abroad, saying they "will not pose a threat to any country." "Only those who are accustomed to threatening others will see everyone as a threat," he added. Xi used the speech to espouse his vision of realising the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" -- the "greatest dream" of the world's second-largest economy. "The Chinese people have been indomitable and persistent, we have the spirit of fighting the bloody battle against our enemies to the bitter end," he said. But his speech was also a reminder that the Communist Party, more than ever, reigns over the country's affairs. "History has already proven and will continue to prove that only socialism can save China," he said. "The Communist Party is the supreme political leadership of the country and the fundamental guarantee to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." - Indefinite rule - The two-week session of the National People's Congress handed Xi, 64, a second term and endorsed the Communist Party's decision to lift presidential term limits, clearing the way for him to remain in power indefinitely after his second term ends in 2023. His eponymous political philosophy, which was enshrined in the party charter last year, was added to the national constitution and senior government officials had to swear an oath to the document for the first time. Some of Xi's key lieutenants were also promoted to top positions. His former anti-corruption czar, Wang Qishan, was elevated to the vice presidency while his top economic adviser, Liu He, became vice premier. Wang could use his experience as a trade negotiator to deal with rocky relations with the Trump administration, while Liu is expected to have an influential role in economic policymaking. The legislature also approved the biggest government shake-up in years, merging the banking and insurance regulators to tackle financial risks, and amended the constitution to expand the Communist Party's role in the country's affairs. Xi's campaign against corruption within the Communist Party, which punished 1.5 million officials in five years, was expanded as the legislature voted Tuesday to create a national agency that will scrutinise millions of public servants. "The Communist Party of China must... resolutely eliminate" corruption, Xi said. The government's propaganda machine worked in overdrive to nurture a cult of personality around Xi and stamp out dissenting views during the two-week session. The People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, referred to Xi as the "helmsman" last weekend, an echo of Mao who was known as "the great helmsman". The abolition of term limits triggered a rare bout of criticism on social media, prompting censors to block dozens of phrases such as "I disagree" or "emperor" as well as satirical images such as Winnie the Pooh -- the cartoon bear that some compare to Xi. China has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening online restrictions and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers.

China ready to fight 'bloody battle' to regain its rightful place in the world: Xi Jinping

China&#39;s rubber-stamp parliament - National People&#39;s Congress (NPC) - unanimously re-appointed President Xi Jinping to a second five-year term on Saturday, days after paving the way for him to stay in power beyond 2023.

Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People&#39;s Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share.

Xi&nbsp;will also unveil a new government on Saturday in which except for Premier Li Keqiang, all top posts including the entire Cabinet beside Governor of the central bank will be occupied by a new set of officials.

While the amendment empowered 64-year-old Xi to remain in power for life, his power base is expected to be further reinforced by his close associate Wang Qishan who carried out the dreaded anti-corruption campaign in the last five years in which over one-and-a-half million people including over 100 ministerial-level officials were punished.

The National People&#39;s Congress has widely expanded Xi&#39;s already considerable authority during its annual session, adding his name to the Constitution and lifting the two five-year term limit for the presidency and vice presidency.

As part of the package of constitutional amendments, the president and other government officials will for the first time take the oath of office by pledging allegiance to the Constitution.

Elevating Wang would allow Xi to keep a formidable ally by his side as China&#39;s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cements his authority and sets his sights on a possible lifelong tenure.

Wang, 69, stepped down from the Communist Party&#39;s ruling council in October under informal retirement rules. But he has kept a prominent profile, sitting at the same table as the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee during the public sessions of the National People`s Congress.

Known internationally in his previous role as China&#39;s pointman on trade, analysts say Wang could help Xi handle increasingly tense relations with the United States amid fears of a looming trade war.

Wang was at the frontline of Xi&#39;s anti-corruption crusade, heading the party&#39;s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which punished 1.5 million officials in the past five years, from low-level cadres to regional leaders and generals.

Xi`s most important title is general secretary of the Communist Party, but by putting a retired party loyalist in the vice presidency, he would again be breaking with party norms and unwritten rules of succession.

Xi is keeping Wang by his side because of his &quot;talent and ability,&quot; according to Hua Po, an independent Chinese political commentator.

&quot;Choosing Wang as vice president is certainly to consolidate his power,&quot; Hua told AFP.

&quot;Xi is already a very powerful man. The problem is that he has too few people who are loyal and competent for his use, so he has to retain Wang and give himself more time to cultivate more talented people.&quot;

Wang would replace Li Yuanchao, a relatively low-profile politician who has represented Xi on trips abroad.

When he was vice premier, Wang periodically travelled to the United States, where President Barack Obama once gave the Chinese delegation a signed basketball that the official held up at a press conference.

An &quot;amazing&quot; economist, Wang could now form a &quot;dream team&quot; with another member of the party leadership, Wang Yang, to deal with US President Donald Trump&#39;s trade threats, said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King`s College London.

Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People's Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share

China's rubber-stamp parliament - National People's Congress (NPC) - unanimously re-appointed President Xi Jinping to a second five-year term on Saturday, days after paving the way for him to stay in power beyond 2023. Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People's Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share. Xi will also unveil a new government on Saturday in which except for Premier Li Keqiang, all top posts including the entire Cabinet beside Governor of the central bank will be occupied by a new set of officials. While the amendment empowered 64-year-old Xi to remain in power for life, his power base is expected to be further reinforced by his close associate Wang Qishan who carried out the dreaded anti-corruption campaign in the last five years in which over one-and-a-half million people including over 100 ministerial-level officials were punished. The National People's Congress has widely expanded Xi's already considerable authority during its annual session, adding his name to the Constitution and lifting the two five-year term limit for the presidency and vice presidency. As part of the package of constitutional amendments, the president and other government officials will for the first time take the oath of office by pledging allegiance to the Constitution. Elevating Wang would allow Xi to keep a formidable ally by his side as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cements his authority and sets his sights on a possible lifelong tenure. Wang, 69, stepped down from the Communist Party's ruling council in October under informal retirement rules. But he has kept a prominent profile, sitting at the same table as the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee during the public sessions of the National People`s Congress. Known internationally in his previous role as China's pointman on trade, analysts say Wang could help Xi handle increasingly tense relations with the United States amid fears of a looming trade war. Wang was at the frontline of Xi's anti-corruption crusade, heading the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which punished 1.5 million officials in the past five years, from low-level cadres to regional leaders and generals. Xi`s most important title is general secretary of the Communist Party, but by putting a retired party loyalist in the vice presidency, he would again be breaking with party norms and unwritten rules of succession. Xi is keeping Wang by his side because of his "talent and ability," according to Hua Po, an independent Chinese political commentator. "Choosing Wang as vice president is certainly to consolidate his power," Hua told AFP. "Xi is already a very powerful man. The problem is that he has too few people who are loyal and competent for his use, so he has to retain Wang and give himself more time to cultivate more talented people." Wang would replace Li Yuanchao, a relatively low-profile politician who has represented Xi on trips abroad. When he was vice premier, Wang periodically travelled to the United States, where President Barack Obama once gave the Chinese delegation a signed basketball that the official held up at a press conference. An "amazing" economist, Wang could now form a "dream team" with another member of the party leadership, Wang Yang, to deal with US President Donald Trump's trade threats, said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King`s College London.

China's parliament unanimously gives Xi second term

Xi Jinping&#39;s pet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can pose a &quot;major challenge&quot; in resetting China&#39;s ties with India, analysts here have said, days after the Chinese parliament backed his plan to rule indefinitely amid Sino-India rapprochement following the Dokalam standoff.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India had also boycotted last year&#39;s Belt and Road Forum organised by China.

The BRI, aimed at promoting a network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread China&#39;s influence, is now expected to vigorously push by Xi after the National People&#39;s Congress on March 11 removed the two-term limit for the president.

The historic mandate for Xi to continue in office for life came just as India and China began a high-level dialogue to put the ties back on track after the relations were bogged down by a host of issues including, the CPEC and the 73-day long standoff at Dokalam last year.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit China next month which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations.

&quot;There are very serious efforts are being made by both countries to improve relations and China attaches a lot of importance to its ties with India in the region,&quot; Hu Shisheng, Director of the official China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told.

As the two countries seek to address a number of issues like China blocking India&#39;s efforts to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN as well as India&#39;s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides Dokalam, they need to come up with a creative solution to address differences on the BRI, Hu said.

&quot;Now Xi is set to be at the helm for a long term and he is going to pursue the BRI very seriously&quot; as this is his project, he said.

China, which has been maintaining that the BRI will not have any impact on its stand that Kashmir issue should be resolved between India and Pakistan, has also offered initiatives like renaming the CPEC to address India&#39;s reservations.

Officials say Chinese investment flows into India have been affected as China has been routing all its external investments in recent years only under the BRI. India is also a part of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) corridor which is also part of the BRI but has made little progress.

Officials say China&#39;s investments in India were just about $3.5 billion far less than $20 billion promised by Xi during his visit to India in 2015.

He said both countries need to show flexibility. While China should be flexible by not pressing India to cooperate under the BRI framework for investments in India, New Delhi could make reciprocal gestures to get the investments for infrastructure projects.

Rong Ying, the vice president of China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said both the countries need to address the trust deficit.

&quot;Equally important is for both countries to find a way to address differences in a constructive and forward-looking manner,&quot; he told.

He also said there was no need to worry about the long-term rule by Xi.

&quot;I don&#39;t see any reason for worry. I only want to see that the two sides draw correct lessons (out of Dokalam standoff). Then we can work hard for a stable relationship,&quot; he said.

&quot;No one wants an incident like Dong Long (Dokalam). We are able to solve it through peaceful way through talks shows the maturity of the relationship,&quot; Rong, who formerly worked as a Chinese diplomat in India, said.

About what effect Xi&#39;s long-term rule will have on the boundary dispute, he said, &quot;the boundary dispute has to be better managed. I don&#39;t see in the near future the possibility of an early settlement in sight,&quot; he said.

The annual border talks by special representatives and other mechanisms would&nbsp;help to develop the trust, he said.

The two sides have held 20 rounds of border talks to resolve differences over the 3,488 long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit China next month which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations

Xi Jinping's pet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can pose a "major challenge" in resetting China's ties with India, analysts here have said, days after the Chinese parliament backed his plan to rule indefinitely amid Sino-India rapprochement following the Dokalam standoff. The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India had also boycotted last year's Belt and Road Forum organised by China. The BRI, aimed at promoting a network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread China's influence, is now expected to vigorously push by Xi after the National People's Congress on March 11 removed the two-term limit for the president. The historic mandate for Xi to continue in office for life came just as India and China began a high-level dialogue to put the ties back on track after the relations were bogged down by a host of issues including, the CPEC and the 73-day long standoff at Dokalam last year. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit China next month which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations. "There are very serious efforts are being made by both countries to improve relations and China attaches a lot of importance to its ties with India in the region," Hu Shisheng, Director of the official China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told. As the two countries seek to address a number of issues like China blocking India's efforts to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN as well as India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides Dokalam, they need to come up with a creative solution to address differences on the BRI, Hu said. "Now Xi is set to be at the helm for a long term and he is going to pursue the BRI very seriously" as this is his project, he said. China, which has been maintaining that the BRI will not have any impact on its stand that Kashmir issue should be resolved between India and Pakistan, has also offered initiatives like renaming the CPEC to address India's reservations. Officials say Chinese investment flows into India have been affected as China has been routing all its external investments in recent years only under the BRI. India is also a part of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) corridor which is also part of the BRI but has made little progress. Officials say China's investments in India were just about $3.5 billion far less than $20 billion promised by Xi during his visit to India in 2015. He said both countries need to show flexibility. While China should be flexible by not pressing India to cooperate under the BRI framework for investments in India, New Delhi could make reciprocal gestures to get the investments for infrastructure projects. Rong Ying, the vice president of China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said both the countries need to address the trust deficit. "Equally important is for both countries to find a way to address differences in a constructive and forward-looking manner," he told. He also said there was no need to worry about the long-term rule by Xi. "I don't see any reason for worry. I only want to see that the two sides draw correct lessons (out of Dokalam standoff). Then we can work hard for a stable relationship," he said. "No one wants an incident like Dong Long (Dokalam). We are able to solve it through peaceful way through talks shows the maturity of the relationship," Rong, who formerly worked as a Chinese diplomat in India, said. About what effect Xi's long-term rule will have on the boundary dispute, he said, "the boundary dispute has to be better managed. I don't see in the near future the possibility of an early settlement in sight," he said. The annual border talks by special representatives and other mechanisms would help to develop the trust, he said. The two sides have held 20 rounds of border talks to resolve differences over the 3,488 long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

BRI could be sticking point in India-China ties: Experts

China&#39;s Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits, handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of transforming the nation into an economic and military superpower.

The move reverses the era of &quot;collective&quot; leadership and orderly succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to ensure stability following the turbulent one-man rule of Communist China&#39;s founder Mao Zedong.

The historic constitutional amendment breezed through the rubber-stamp parliament with 2,958 in favour, two against and three abstentions despite an unusual bout of online criticism that censors have scrambled to extinguish.

Xi stood up first at the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing to cast his paper ballot in a red box, as delegates of the National People&#39;s Congress applauded after each vote on the constitutional amendment to lift the two five-year term limit for the presidency.

The first constitutional amendment in 14 years had been expected to breeze through the legislature, which has never rejected a Communist Party diktat in its half-century of existence.

&quot;This is the urgent wish of the common people,&quot; Ju Xiuqin, a delegate from northeastern Heilongjiang province, told AFP, echoing party claims that the amendment had the unanimous support of &quot;the masses&quot;.

Xi, 64, has consolidated power since 2012 when he was appointed to the country&#39;s top office: general secretary of the Communist Party.

While the position has no term limits, his two predecessors both gave it up after two terms as part of an orderly process established by Deng.

Soft coup

The country&#39;s presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the constitutional limits meant Xi would have had to give it up in 2023.

But with the new amendments, he could now have a lifetime to push his goal of turning China into global economic powerhouse with a &quot;world-class&quot; military by mid-century.

His rise has been accompanied by tighter restrictions on civil society, with the detention of activists and lawyers, and stricter limits on the already heavily controlled internet.

At the same time, he gained a measure of popularity among Chinese people through a relentless crackdown on corruption that has punished more than a million party officials, and sidelined potential rivals.

&quot;I think that during the past five years, he has been carrying out a soft coup, including making the Politburo a mere figurehead,&quot; Chinese political commentator Wu Qiang told AFP, referring to the 25-member Communist Party body one level under the ruling council.

&quot;He wants to prevent power from falling into the hands of technocrats like Jiang (Zemin) and Hu (Jintao),&quot; Wu said, referring to Xi&#39;s two predecessors.

While attention has focused on the term limits, the amendments also include major provisions that will engrave Xi&#39;s eponymous political mantra in the constitution and hand the Communist Party an even larger role in the country&#39;s affairs.

In a written report, the head of the parliament&#39;s Standing Committee, Zhang Dejiang, said the amendments &quot;will ensure the constitution improves and develops in step with the times and provide a firm constitutional guarantee for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era&quot;.

Secret path

The Communist Party says the move merely aligns the presidency with the limit-free titles of party secretary and military chief, claiming &quot;the masses&quot; unanimously called for the removal of term limits.

But the proposal was kept secret until it was revealed in a state media report on February 25, a week before the legislature&#39;s opening session.

The party later disclosed that Xi had presided over a meeting of the Politburo in September during which the leadership decided to revise the constitution.

The party then sought proposals and opinions, culminating in a decision in late January to introduce constitutional amendments at the NPC.

&quot;Xi Jinping has presided over so many important projects such as economic reforms and the fight against corruption. There was a consensus that we supported him having more time to finish his work,&quot; said Dou Yanli, a delegate from eastern Shandong province.

The surprise move triggered a backlash online, prompting censors to block phrases and words such as &quot;I disagree&quot; and &quot;emperor&quot; and the image of Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon bear to which Xi has been compared.

Activists fear that removing term limits may lead to a further tightening of already strict controls on media, civil society and religion, as Xi tries to impose his highly ideological vision of socialism on every aspect of society.

Beijing-based activist Hu Jia, who says authorities forced him to leave the capital during the congress, called the amendment &quot;illegal&quot;.

&quot;Xi asked all people to obey the constitution, and then used the amendment to place himself above it. He used the constitution as the ultimate legal weapon that binds officials and all citizens.&quot;

The almost 3,000 delegates to the country`s rubber-stamp legislature passed the measure

China's Xi Jinping on Sunday secured a path to rule indefinitely as parliament abolished presidential term limits, handing him almost total authority to pursue a vision of transforming the nation into an economic and military superpower. The move reverses the era of "collective" leadership and orderly succession that was promoted by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to ensure stability following the turbulent one-man rule of Communist China's founder Mao Zedong. The historic constitutional amendment breezed through the rubber-stamp parliament with 2,958 in favour, two against and three abstentions despite an unusual bout of online criticism that censors have scrambled to extinguish. Xi stood up first at the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing to cast his paper ballot in a red box, as delegates of the National People's Congress applauded after each vote on the constitutional amendment to lift the two five-year term limit for the presidency. The first constitutional amendment in 14 years had been expected to breeze through the legislature, which has never rejected a Communist Party diktat in its half-century of existence. "This is the urgent wish of the common people," Ju Xiuqin, a delegate from northeastern Heilongjiang province, told AFP, echoing party claims that the amendment had the unanimous support of "the masses". Xi, 64, has consolidated power since 2012 when he was appointed to the country's top office: general secretary of the Communist Party. While the position has no term limits, his two predecessors both gave it up after two terms as part of an orderly process established by Deng. Soft coup The country's presidency is a largely ceremonial office, but the constitutional limits meant Xi would have had to give it up in 2023. But with the new amendments, he could now have a lifetime to push his goal of turning China into global economic powerhouse with a "world-class" military by mid-century. His rise has been accompanied by tighter restrictions on civil society, with the detention of activists and lawyers, and stricter limits on the already heavily controlled internet. At the same time, he gained a measure of popularity among Chinese people through a relentless crackdown on corruption that has punished more than a million party officials, and sidelined potential rivals. "I think that during the past five years, he has been carrying out a soft coup, including making the Politburo a mere figurehead," Chinese political commentator Wu Qiang told AFP, referring to the 25-member Communist Party body one level under the ruling council. "He wants to prevent power from falling into the hands of technocrats like Jiang (Zemin) and Hu (Jintao)," Wu said, referring to Xi's two predecessors. While attention has focused on the term limits, the amendments also include major provisions that will engrave Xi's eponymous political mantra in the constitution and hand the Communist Party an even larger role in the country's affairs. In a written report, the head of the parliament's Standing Committee, Zhang Dejiang, said the amendments "will ensure the constitution improves and develops in step with the times and provide a firm constitutional guarantee for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era". Secret path The Communist Party says the move merely aligns the presidency with the limit-free titles of party secretary and military chief, claiming "the masses" unanimously called for the removal of term limits. But the proposal was kept secret until it was revealed in a state media report on February 25, a week before the legislature's opening session. The party later disclosed that Xi had presided over a meeting of the Politburo in September during which the leadership decided to revise the constitution. The party then sought proposals and opinions, culminating in a decision in late January to introduce constitutional amendments at the NPC. "Xi Jinping has presided over so many important projects such as economic reforms and the fight against corruption. There was a consensus that we supported him having more time to finish his work," said Dou Yanli, a delegate from eastern Shandong province. The surprise move triggered a backlash online, prompting censors to block phrases and words such as "I disagree" and "emperor" and the image of Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon bear to which Xi has been compared. Activists fear that removing term limits may lead to a further tightening of already strict controls on media, civil society and religion, as Xi tries to impose his highly ideological vision of socialism on every aspect of society. Beijing-based activist Hu Jia, who says authorities forced him to leave the capital during the congress, called the amendment "illegal". "Xi asked all people to obey the constitution, and then used the amendment to place himself above it. He used the constitution as the ultimate legal weapon that binds officials and all citizens."

China's parliament abolishes presidential term limit, Xi Jinping could stay in power for life

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