The Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping could be as significant as the one between former premier Rajiv Gandhi and then leader of China Deng Xiaoping in 1988, the official Chinese media commented on Tuesday, 24 April.
Xi and Modi will hold an "informal summit" in central China's Wuhan city from 27 to 28 April to improve bilateral relations and discuss global issues of mutual concern.
Both the leaders will try to work out a new paradigm for the bilateral ties bogged down with a host of disputes and differences.
Another official newspaper, the China Daily, said it remains to be seen whether the Modi-Xi summit "will live up to its billing as an unprecedented meeting" like the 1988 meeting between Rajiv and Deng.
In its editorial 'Xi-Modi meeting to show diplomatic wisdom of China, India', the Global Times said, "Indian leaders attach importance to reciprocity in diplomacy. After visiting China in 2015, Modi attended the Ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen last year and will attend the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao in June".
He is visiting China before June to meet Xi. This unusual move highlights how much the two sides value this meeting, it said.
The tabloid which is attached to the ruling Communist Party of China's official publications and known for its anti-India rhetoric said:
"Asian powers and emerging countries, both China and India share many common interests in international affairs. They both have to strive for the right to develop and face Western pressure on issues like trade and intellectual property rights. There is large room for economic cooperation... Many conflicts between China and India broke out due to a lack of trust or at Western instigation, like the border disputes and the so-called dragon-elephant competition," it said.
China and India cooled down soon after the Doklam standoff, which indicates the solid foundation for ties. The West wanted China and India to confront each other, but it didn't work out that way, it said.
China and India have more robust economic development than other emerging countries and are both independent. Any attempt to manipulate the way they deal with each other will likely fail, it said.
The cooperation of two countries, home to about 40 percent of the global population, is highly significant for the whole world, it said.
The previous meeting between Xi and Modi in Xiamen last September produced an end to the tense border standoff (Doklam) that had been souring relations for months, it said.
"That incident was a reminder to the two proud neighbours that they must manage their border issues, or they will continue to trouble them.”
(This article has been published in an arrangement with PTI.)
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