Spruced up Mamallapuram ready for second Modi-Xi informal summit

The two leaders will engage in one-on-one talks during the meeting and are expected to discuss expanding economic and development ties apart from the Kashmir issue and the CPEC

The stage is set for the second ‘informal’ summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to be held in the coastal and heritage town of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram). The two-day meet starts tomorrow.

The meeting comes at a critical time for the neighbours with China recently criticising India’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy and bifurcate the state into two Union territories, its Foreign Minister Wang Yi raising the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly last month and New Delhi responding by saying it did not welcome comments on its internal matters. India also remains opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“At the regional level, we should resolve disputes peacefully through dialogues and consultations and jointly uphold regional peace and stability,” said Sun Weidong, Beijing’s ambassador to New Delhi. The two leaders will engage in one-on-one talks during the meeting and are also expected to discuss expanding economic and development ties.

After winning his second term, Modi formally extended an invitation to Xi in June at the Bishkek summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which the latter accepted. This is the second informal summit between the two leaders, after Wuhan, which was held in April, 2018, in China. Notably, China has been importing rice and sugar from India following a request from the Prime Minister in the first informal summit…

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'South Tibet': China claims stake over Arunachal Pradesh, renames 6 places

China has for the first time announced 'standardised' official names for six places in Arunachal

 

#LATEST| Upping the ante, China has for the first time announced "standardised" official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh, days after it lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama's visit to the frontier state.

The state media here said the move was aimed at reaffirming China's claim over the state . China claims the state as 'South Tibet'.

"China's ministry of civil affairs announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in 'South Tibet', which India calls 'Arunachal Pradesh', in accordance with the regulations of the central government," state-run Global Times reported today.

The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo'gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidengarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bumo La and Namkapub Ri.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war.

The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute.

China's move comes just days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh , which was seventh since he fled from Tibet through Tawang and sought refuge in India.

During the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader's Arunachal Pradesh visit, China had warned India that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests.

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Commenting on the standardisation of the names of six places, Chinese experts said that it was a move to "reaffirm the country's territorial sovereignty to the disputed region", according to the daily.

"The standardisation came amid China's growing understanding and recognition of the geography in South Tibet. Naming the places is a step to reaffirm China's territorial sovereignty to South Tibet," Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing's Minzu University of China, was quoted as saying.

Xiong said that the legalisation of the regions' names is a part of the rule of law.

"These names have existed since ancient times, but had never been standardised before. Therefore, announcing the names is like a remediation," Guo Kefan, a research fellow at the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, said.| read more...