Indian, Chinese leaders voice concern about terrorism

NEW DELHI

The leaders of India and China expressed concern regarding terrorism and agreed to fight radicalization Friday, said Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed trade-related issues, including how to enhance bilateral trade volume, he said.

Gokhale said both countries are diverse and radicalization is a matter of concern that should not impact the society.

“President Xi said he was looking forward to working with PM Modi on all issues,” said Gokhale.

It is not known whether Modi and Xi discussed the Kashmir issue, which have strained ties between the two countries.

Xi was accorded a red carpet welcome as he touched down in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, before making his way to the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, where the Chinese dignitary was received by Modi.

Modi took Xi for a tour of the temples of Mahabalipuram, a world heritage site and had a casual interaction, while they sipped coconut water.

“The free flowing nature of the Informal summit at the UNESCO World Heritage site will continue and deepen contacts at the highest level and guide the future trajectory of India-China relationship,” said Raveesh Kumar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who was also present during the briefing.

The two leaders will hold an informal meeting Saturday, which will be followed by delegation-level talks. They had their inaugural Informal Summit in Wuhan, China on April 27-28, 2018.