Indian PM meets China’s Xi jinping

Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his ancestral home province yesterday, highlighting ancient ties as the Asian giants reportedly discussed a simmering border dispute.

Xi met Modi in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, telling him it was “the first time I have treated a foreign leader in my hometown”, China’s official news agency Xinhua said.

Modi, who was beginning a three-day visit, said it was “an honour to 125 crore (1.25 billion) Indians whom I am representing as Prime Minister”, according to India’s PTI agency.

The choice of venue was seen as reciprocation after Modi hosted Xi in his home state of Gujarat last year.

“Boundary issues were discussed, including peace and tranquillity on the border,” Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar told reporters following the summit.

He said the two also discussed India’s attempt to join China as a permanent member of the United Nations’ elite Security Council, which Beijing has avoided directly endorsing.

Beijing has vowed to pour investment into India’s arch rival Pakistan, as it rolls out plans to boost infrastructure across Asia, which seem to mostly bypass India.

The Indian leader will later head to the capital Beijing and China’s financial hub Shanghai, seeking to deliver on election promises to attract foreign investment for India’s crumbling rail and other infrastructure.

Meanwhile, yesterday Modi inspected the emblematic Terracotta Warriors, pictures on his official Twitter account showed.

“The Terracotta Army is a heritage of the world,” images on the social media network showed his comments in the visitors’ book as reading. “It is a testimony to China’s civilisational achievements.”

He also toured the Daxingshan Temple, where Indian scholars are said to have translated Buddhist sutras into Chinese following its construction during the Western Jin Dynasty.

After China, Modi will head to Mongolia and South Korea.