Wuhan Summit: PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping Agree to Issue 'Strategic Guidelines' to Both Militaries for Border Peace

Wuhan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have decided on ensuring greater strategic communication between the two countries, including issuing specific guidelines to their respective militaries to maintain border peace.

Briefing reporters at the end of an unprecedented two-day informal summit between the two leaders in the central Chinese city, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders underscored that it is important to maintain peace and tranquility in all areas of the India-China border region.

“They have decided to issue strategic guidelines to their respective militaries to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border,” Gokhale said, adding that both sides also decided on improving sharing of strategic information, strengthening communication and also improve mechanisms of confidence building.

Gokhale also said that the special representatives of both countries will meet soon to discuss the border issue.

His remarks came at the end of the 'heart-to-heart' summit between Modi and Xi which is being seen as an effort by India and China to rebuild trust and improve ties that were hit by the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff last year.

"The two leaders were of the view that the two countries have the maturity and wisdom to handle all our differences through peaceful discussions within the context of the overall relationships and bearing in mind, we would respect each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations," Gokhale said.

Interestingly, while the Foreign Secretary did not directly point at a specific discussion on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between the two leaders, Gokhale said that Modi and Xi decided to make concerted efforts to enhance regional development and that “this diplomatic format of informal summit” will continue, thus ensuring that discussions on various issues are addressed from time to time.

“Mechanisms are in place to discuss issues concerned to both parties. Now, we will go into details of those mechanisms and work on converging our interests wherever we can,” Gokhale further said.

India has, since the start, been a strong critic of the BRI, stating that Xi’s ambitious project threatens its sovereignty.