Xi call to maintain ‘hard won’ ties echoes Modi’s sentiments

The two leaders met before they attended the BRICS leaders meeting held ahead of the G20 summit here. “China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance their cooperation”, state-run Chinese Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying during their half an hour meeting, their second in less than three months. 

Xi’s comments came in the backdrop of a raft of differences between the two countries including listing of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in the UN, China stalling India’s membership at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Corridor being built through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Modi raised India’s concerns over the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through PoK, and terrorism “emanating from the region” and said the two countries need to be “sensitive” to each other’s strategic interests. Besides a host of energy-related projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Gwadar port to Kashghar in Xinjiang through PoK. 

Asserting that fight against terror should not be motivated by “political considerations”, Modi said it is of “paramount importance that we respect each other’s aspirations, concerns and strategic  interests” to ensure durable bilateral ties. Officials on both sides attach importance to the meeting in view of growing differences between the two Asian giants on bilaterally sensitive issues like listing of Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.