NAY PYI TAW : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here. This was his first meeting with the Chinese Premier, though Mr Li was the first foreign leader to speak with Mr Modi over telephone immediately after he was sworn in. That conversation stretched to 40 minutes.
During the talks, the Chinese premier said he was keen to host Mr Modi in Beijing. “Keen to have you visit China. Look forward to seeing you in Beijing,” Mr Li said.
At delegation level talks Mr Modi was assisted by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa in the External Affairs ministry among others. Chinese President Xi Jinping had visited India in September, at a time when the armies of the two countries were in a face-off in the Ladakh region, that finally ended 10 days after his return to Beijing.
Sources said the Chinese side was keen that Mr Li have his first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Modi in more cordial settings.
Incidentally, armies of the two countries would hold their 10-day joint combat drill ‘Hand in Hand’ back home in Nagpur beginning from November 16. When Mr Li visited New Delhi last year, that time too, Peoples’ Liberation Army of China had triggered a face-off situation in Depsang region of Ladakh. The stand-off continued for about 20 days before the two sides decided to disengage. Officials travelling with the Prime Minister on his three-nation, 10-day tour, said both sides were keen to build on the outcomes of President Xi’s September visit to India. (AGENCIES)
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