China’s Xi and India’s Modi to hold summit this week amid strains

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping will hold an informal summit in southern India on Friday, officials said, amid strains in their relationship.

The meeting follows months of niggling between the world’s two most populous nations over trade, border disputes, and their respective diplomatic moves. India’s foreign ministry has not formally announced the meeting in the Tamil Nadu town of Mamallapuram, known for its historic temples and architecture. But it has opened media registration for a “second India-China informal summit”, and Chinese officials have been scouting out the seaside town for several weeks.

Indian media reports said Xi and Modi will visit Mamallapuram’s attractions on the follow up to their first informal summit in Wuhan, China, in April last year. That meeting followed an intense high-altitude stand-off at a disputed border post in the Himalayas. Xi is expected to leave Saturday, as Nepalese media have said he will visit Kathmandu this weekend on his way back from the India talks.