PM Modi-Xi Summit highlights: Prez Xi leaves for Nepal; PM Modi heads to New Delhi as summit concludes

The second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded on October 12. On the first day of the visit, the two leaders agreed to work together to deal with the “common challenge” of radicalization and terrorism, as the two sides strived to save the thaw in the relations from the cold vibes over Kashmir. The two leaders continued their talks on the second day and issued press statements.

That's all for today readers. Thank you for tuning in to our liveblog on India-China second informal summit. For more latest news follow www.deccanherald.co.in.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) exchanges gifts with China's President Xi Jinping in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu state. (AFP photo)

Kashmir issue was not raised and not discussed. Our position is anyways very clear that this is an internal matter of India: Gokhale

There was new focus on people to people relations. It was decided that public of both countries must be brought in the relationship.Ideas were exchanged on this:Gokhale

There was new focus on people to people relations. It was decided that public of both countries must be brought in the relationship.Ideas were exchanged on this: Gokhale

A new mechanism will be established to discuss trade,investment and services,at an elevated level. From China it will be the Vice Premier, Hu Chunhua and from India it will be FM Nirmala Sitharaman:Gokhale

The two leaders today had a conversation for almost 90 minutes,followed by delegation level talks and then lunch was hosted by PM Modi. A total of 6 hours of one to one meeting was held between the two leaders during this summit: Vijay Gokhale

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Fisherman's Cove in Kovalam near Mamallapuram. (PTI photo)

Modi reminds Xi accord to respect each other’s concerns

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reminded Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two sides had agreed to be sensitive to each other’s concerns and to manage differences between the two nations prudently without allowing them to turn into disputes.

Modi and Xi led Indian and Chinese delegations for talks on the final day of their second “informal summit” at a seaside resort at Kovalam in Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister recalled the consensus he and Chinese President had reached when they had held the first informal summit at Wuhan in central China in April 2018. “We had decided that we would prudently manage our differences, would not allow them to turn into dispute and would remain sensitive to each other’s concerns,” Prime Minister said in his opening statement. “Our (first) informal summit at Wuhan last year resulted in increased stability and added fresh momentum in our relations.”

Read the full report here.

Xi Jinping is expected to depart for Kathmandu by 2:00 pm. PM Modi too will leave for New Delhi soon after Xi departs.

Xi leaves from the Taj Fisherman's Cove hotel in the coastal city for Chennai.

Will pursue proposals on bilateral ties discussed with India's Modi, says Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday he had a free and frank discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would pursue proposals the two leaders discussed to improve bilateral ties.

Xi and Modi held several hours of one-on-one talks in a southern seaside Indian town in their second annual summit designed to break through decades of distrust between their countries over border disputes, a ballooning trade deficit and China's close military ties with India's arch rival, Pakistan.

"Yesterday and today we have engaged in candid discussions and as friends," Xi said in opening remarks as the two leaders sat down for formal talks with their delegations. (Reuters)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an informal meeting at Mamallapuram. (PTI photo)

PM Modi's 'plogging' on Mamallapuram beach

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is here for an informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, was on Saturday saw picking up plastic litter, water bottles and other waste from a beach during his morning walk.

On Twitter, Modi released a three-minute video in which he was seen collecting waste and urged the people to ensure that public places are clean and tidy.

Read the full report here.

China and India are important neighbours for each other: Xi Jinping

Police personnel deployed during the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at Fisherman's Cove, Kovalam near Mamallapuram. (PTI photo)

The Wuhan summit instilled a new momentum and trust in our relations and today's 'Chennai vision' is the start of a new era in India-China relations: PM Modi.

We are really overwhelmed by your hospitality. Me and my colleagues have felt that very strongly. This will be a memorable experience for me and us:Xi Jinping.

Yesterday Prime Minister as you said, you and I had engaged in candid conversations like friends, heart to heart discussions on bilateral relations: Xi Jinping

The first informal summit between India and China last year in Wuhan led to fresh stability in our relations and gave a fresh momentum. Strategic communication between our two countries has also increased: PM Modi

There have been deep cultural and trade relations between China and the state of Tamil Nadu. For most part of the last 2000 years, India and China have been economic powers: PM Modi

The one-on-one talk between PMModi and Xi Jinping ends. Now, delegation level talks begin between Indian and China. PM Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister SJaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale are present.

Sounds of India wow Chinese President Xi Jinping

From the traditional Bharatanatyam to Nagaswaram to folk arts of Mayilattam, Thapattam, Karakattam to Nashik dhol to Kerala’s very own Sendai Melam – Chennai and Mamallapuram reverberated with diverse sounds of India as a red carpet was rolled out for the visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi, whose special aircraft landed at the Chennai Airport a little before 2 pm, was visibly pleased as hundreds of artists performed various dance forms and folk art at the tarmac and waved at them as a sign of acknowledgement of the warm welcome.

Read the full report here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Fisherman's Cove in Kovalam near Mamallapuram on October 12, 2019. (PTI photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands during their visit at the Pancha Rathas complex in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu state. (AFP photo)

Modi, Xi hold tête-à-tête on 2nd day of informal summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping commenced the second day of their “informal summit” with a tête-à-tête.
The two leaders met at a seaside resort in Kovalam in Tamil Nadu early on Saturday to continue the discussion they had started during the tour to the World

Heritage Sites in nearby Mamallapuram, as well as over dinner till late in the evening on Friday.

Read the full report here.

The two leaders will later lead the delegation of officials of the respective governments for talks. PM Modi will be joined by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, India’s ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, and several other officers. President Xi’s delegation will comprise Ding Xuexiang, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Taj Fisherman's Cove hotel in Kovalam is underway.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a morning walk along the scenic coast of Mamallapuram. (Twitter/@BJP4India)

Modi welcomes Xi in Kovalam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping at Taj Fisherman's Cove hotel in Kovalam.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet again today in the seaside town of Mahabalipuram near Chennai to continue their talks, which will be followed by delegation-level talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's convoy leaves from ITC Grand Chola Hotel for Kovalam. The Chinese President will meet PM Modi later today in Kovalam.

Indian Army goes silent on ongoing war drill

With the Chinese president in India to take forward the spirit of the Wuhan Summit, the Indian Army goes silent on an ongoing war drill near the Sino-Indian border.

Exercise Him Vijay was meant to examine a new war-fighting concept prepared by the Army, but it turned out to be one of the key irritants that delayed finalisation of the Mamallapuram summit dates, which were announced at the eleventh hour.

Information on the Army exercise spearheaded by Panagarh-based 17 Corps was hushed up to salvage the Xi Jinping-Narendra Modi summit in which the two leaders are to discuss a range of bilateral issues. The drill began on Oct 3 and would culminate on Oct 25.

Read the full report here.

Why Xi Jinping prefers China-made 'Hongqi' over helicopter ride

Visiting Chennai for his second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping has opted to travel to tourist town Mamallapuram by road instead of a helicopter as Chinese leaders, as matter of policy, shun travel by choppers.

While Modi, who landed in Chennai earlier, flew to Mamallapuram by helicopter, Xi covered the 57 km journey to Mamallapuram from Chennai, where he is staying in a hotel, by road travelling in a specially flown in "Hongqi" limousine.

Read the full report here.

Posters welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen in Kathmandu before his visit to the city, later today.

Modi, Xi strive to save thaw, agree to fight terror

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday agreed to work together to deal with the “common challenge” of radicalization and terrorism, as the two sides strived to save the thaw in the relations from the cold vibes over Kashmir.

Modi took Xi around for a tour to the World Heritage Sites in the ancient port city of Tamil Nadu soon after Chinese President arrived to hold the second “informal summit” with him.

Read the full report here.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a picture during their visit at at Krishna’s Butter Ball. (PIB photo)

At summit to mend ties, Modi, Xi see common challenge on 'terror'

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indian host Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged at an informal summit to cooperate against "radicalisation", India said late Friday, after the Asian giants with historically prickly ties had exchanged sharp words over Kashmir.

The seaside meeting aimed at mending relations after India irked China by its splitting of Jammu and Kashmir state into two in August. The decision will also make the area's Ladakh region -- part of which is claimed by Beijing -- a separate Indian administrative territory.

India in turn has been enraged by China's diplomatic backing for Pakistan, which controls a much larger part of the disputed Muslim-majority Kashmir region.

But at their talks on Friday, the leaders acknowledged a common challenge, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

"Both leaders said that these were large countries and that radicalisation was a matter of concern to both, and that both would work together to see that radicalisation and terrorism did not affect the fabric of our multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious societies", Gokhale told reporters. (PTI)

Modi, Xi strive to save thaw, agree to fight terror

“Both leaders (Prime Minister and Chinese President) had a general sense that terrorism was a common challenge,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale

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Modi-Xi summit: Mamallapuram-China ties 2,000 yrs old

This bustling port city of the erstwhile famed Pallava Kingdom was chosen as the venue for the high-stake second informal India-China summit as the coastal city has enjoyed trade and cultural relations with ancient China dating back to at least 2,000.

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No war drill near Sino-India border during Modi-Xi meet

With the Chinese president in India to take forward the spirit of the Wuhan Summit, the Indian Army goes silent on an ongoing war drill near the Sino-Indian border.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Mamallapuram. PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Mamallapuram. PTI Photo

Positive atmospherics as Modi, Xi meet in Mamallapuram

In the backdrop of the seventh-century monument of Pancha Ratha, overlooking the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday took a stroll and sipped fresh coconut water in a relaxed informal setting, creating positive atmospherics in bilateral ties strained over the Kashmir issue.

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Cultural programme to welcome President Xi Jinping

Gifts to Chinese President Xi Jinping from Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Nachiarkoil -Branched Annam Lamp and Thanjavur Painting-Dancing Saraswathi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend cultural program at the Shore Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, at Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram. Photo credit: ANI

Modi to urge Xi to do more to narrow trade deficit

With his government inNew DelhiallowingChina’s Huawei and ZTE to take part in the 5G demos during the forthcoming India Mobile Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to work out a roadmap to narrow the widening trade deficit.Modi and Xi arrived at Mamallapuram near Chennai on Friday to hold their second “informal summit”. They will have a tête-à-tête at a resort on Saturday, before leading the official delegations of the respective governments for discussion on bilateral, regional and international issues. Prime Minister is likely to once again convey to Chinese President New Delhi’s concerns ballooning trade deficit.

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Wearing veshti, Modi welcomes Xi in Mamallapuram

Wearing the traditional Tamil attire of 'veshti' and sporting an 'angavastharam', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended a warm welcome to Chinese President Xi Jinping as both leaders enjoyed a stroll at the World Heritage Sites in this ancient port city ruled by the famed Pallava Kings.

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Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Panch Rathas in Mahabalipuram.

Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Panch Rathas in Mahabalipuram.

PM Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the round boulder known as Krishna’s Butter Ball.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi showing the sculptures to Chinese President Xi Jinping

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Arjuna's Penance in Mahabalipuram.

Modi tweets wish for stronger ties with China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chose the three languages of English, Tamil and Mandarin to wish his second informal meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping further strengthened bilateral ties.He used the three languages to welcome Xi to India. The coastal town of Mamallapuram, fortified and all decked up, will host the two leadersfor their second informal summit, with Modi and Xi having earlier met in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mahabalipuram.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Mahabalipuram for the second informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Key issues for the Modi-Xi summit

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping will meet in the Indian city of Chennai from Friday in a bid to ease strained bilateral ties.The leaders of the world's two most populous nations will tackle "overarching issues", according to India's announcement of the meeting.

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#GoBackModi trends on Twitter; this time in Mandarin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here on Friday and #GoBackModi hashtag trended on Twitter like every time he visits the city. The only difference this time was that the Tamil Twitter trended the hashtag in Mandarin as Modi arrived here for an informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping

Modi, Xi look to patch up India-China ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in India Friday for an "informal" seaside summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at mending relations between the historically prickly Asian giants after sharp words over Kashmir.China was irked by India's August move to split Jammu and Kashmir in two because it will make the state's Ladakh region -- part of which is claimed by Beijing -- a separate Indian administrative territory.

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China's President Xi Jinping receives a bouquet upon his arrival at the airport in Chennai on October 11, 2019. (PTI photo)

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Chennai.

Shore temple to be illuminated for Modi-Xi summit

The historic shore temple and five rathas here are all set to get enlivened with world-class lighting and a dash of fresh green with pruned trees and trimmed landscape for the summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

The historic locations, with a proposed add-on feature of top-class illumination, is expected to provide a perfect setting for a memorable photo opportunity to the top leaders, official sources told PTI.

Read the full report here.

Watch | Earlier today, PM Narendra Modi arrived at Chennai airport.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the airport in Chennai. (PTI photo)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here on Friday to a traditional welcome the quintessential Tamil style as hundreds of artists performed various forms of dance and folk arts. This metropolis and the ancient port city of Mamallapuram wore a festive look to roll out a red-carpet welcome for the Chinese President, who will take the road to reach Mamallapuram to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and take a tour of world-famous monuments.

A peek at Xi Jinping's dinner menu

Local Tamil cuisine including Thakkali Rasam, Arachavitta Sambar, Kadalai Kuruma and Kavanarasi Halwa will be served to Chinese President Xi Jinping at dinner today.

Chenda Melam, Kerala's percussion instruments, artists prepare to welcome China's President Xi Jinping in Chennai. (PTI photo)

Jinping is being welcomed by Tamil Nadu Governor, Chief Minister and deputy Chief Minister.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed by folk dancers and musicians, upon his arrival at Chennai airport.

Tibetans detained ahead of Modi-Xi meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to agree with new security measures along their unsettled border during a summit on Friday, officials said, in an effort to smooth ties ruffled by differences over Kashmir.

The two are meeting in a seaside resort in southern India after weeks of jousting over India's decision to revoke the special status of its part of the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, angering arch-rival Pakistan and China, its ally.

Read the full report here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on his arrival, in Chennai, on Friday. (PTI photo)

Ahead of Xi meet, PM tweets in English, Tamil, Mandarin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chose the three languages of English, Tamil, and Mandarin to wish his second informal meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping further strengthened bilateral ties.

The coastal town of Mamallapuram, fortified and all decked up, will host the two leaders for their second informal summit, with Modi and Xi having earlier met in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year.

"Landed in Chennai. I am happy to be in the great land of Tamil Nadu, known for its wonderful culture and hospitality," he said in tweets in English, Tamil and Mandarin.
Read the full report here.

Xi Jinping will be accorded a traditional Tamil welcome with preists from famous Kabaleeshwarar Temple honouring him with Poorana Kumba Mariyathai.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Chennai for the second India-China Summit in Mamallapuram.He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the evening.

Chennai Kalakshetra artists to perform at Modi-Xi meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be treated to a mind-blowing performance including dance dramas on Mahatma Gandhi and epic Ramayana, Kathakali rendition and Bharatanatyam by famed artists from the prestigious Kalakshetra Foundation on Friday.

The 8th century Rock Temple built by Narasimhavarman II of the famed Pallava dynasty that ruled from Kanchipuram will reverberate with the messages of Gandhi and Ramayana as some of the finest artists that this city-based foundation has produced will perform for nearly 30 minutes.
Read the full report here.

Members of Chinese community, school children and other people have gatheredoutside ITC Grand Chola Hotel, in Chennai, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive later today.

Nearly 20 Tibetans have been taken into custody for attempting to protest outside the hotels where Prime Minister NarendraModi and Chinese President XiJingping will stay tonight.

Modi-Xi meet: For Tamil, with love from China

Kalaimagal, Poongothai and Nilani are a sensation in the Tamil internet world. Not because they have pure Tamil names, but for the love they profess for one of the oldest languages in the world, despite being born in China.

The trio not just bear true-blue Tamil names but have taken efforts to learn Tamil and speak flawlessly that could put even a native speaker to shame. And their rhythmic Tamil is popular in China as they present programmes on the China Radio International, now re-named as the China Media Group.
Read the full report here.

The Ministry of External Affairs sad the forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership. This is not the first time Modi is hosting a visiting foreign leader outside New Delhi – he had hosted Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad and French President Emmanuel Macron in Varanasi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands at the helipad in Thiruvidanthai near Kovalam. From here, he would take the road to reach Taj Fisherman's Cove, the venue of the India-China informal summit with XiJinping.

After a few hours of rest, Modi will head to Mamallapuram, 20 kms from Kovalam, to welcome his guest - Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Prime Minister will welcome the Chinese President at Arjuna’s Penance and both will visit Five Rathas and Krishna’s Butterball before taking a stroll at the magnificent Shore Temple believed to have built during 8th century. Xi will arrive in Chennai a little after 2 pm on Friday.

PM lands in Chennai for India-China informal summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Friday morning to attend the second India-China informal summit in the coastal city of Mamallapuram. PM Modi arrived in a special aircraft and was welcomed at the airport by the entire Tamil Nadu cabinet led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit also welcomed the Prime Minister before he took a chopper to reach Kovalam. The Prime Minister’s chopper will land at Thiruvidanthai, where a helipad was set up for the 2018 Defence Expo, and take the road to reach Taj Fisherman’s Cove, a luxurious five-star seafront resort in Kovalam.

Read the full report here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been received by Governor Banwarilal Purohit andChief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning left for Chennai from Beijing to attend the second informal meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mamallapuram.

Do informal summits with China work?

The second informal summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take place at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. The summit is expected to provide opportunities to both leaders for discussing major strategic issues in a frank and cordial manner. India’s decision to revoke Article 370 in August 2019 and China’s adverse reactions and posture in the United Nations since then provide the backdrop for this summit. However, just like the last summit at Wuhan, whether this summit will lead to any real progress remains an open question.

In 2017, India’s refusal to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a prolonged military standoff at Doklam led to considerable deterioration in the bilateral relationship. Therefore, the Wuhan informal summit of April 2018 was organised to ‘reset’ the ties and arrest the deterioration.

Read the full report here.

Mamallapuram-China share 2K-year-old historical links

All set to play host to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, this ancient bustling port city of the famed Pallava Kingdom has had historical trade and defence ties with China that are nearly 2,000 years old.

Historians have noted that the Pallava rulers converted Mamallapuram, 50 kms from Chennai, as the gateway for exports and imports from South East Asian countries, including China, centuries ago. Several epigraphical evidences, including coins with inscriptions of Chinese symbols, were unearthed from Mamallapuram during excavations, emphasizing the age-old links that the port city and the communist nation had shared in the past.

Read the full report here.

Modi-Xi meet: Mamallapuram monuments closed to tourists

With just four days to go for the high-profile visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has closed a group of Monuments in the coastal town of Mamallapuram for tourists from Tuesday till Saturday.

Modi and Xi will hold the second India-China Informal Summit on Friday and Saturday in the ancient port of Mamallapuram and visit some of the monuments that have been listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. While the summit will be held at an expensive and luxurious sea front resort in Kovalam, 20 kms from Mamallapuram, the Chinese President will stay at a five-star property owned by the ITC Group here.

Read the full report here.

Chennai International Airport is all decked up ahead of the arrival of President of China, Xi Jinping. The Chinese President and PM Narendra Modi will begin their second informal meeting in Mahabalipuram today.

Policemen patrol inside the premises of Shore temple a day before the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mamallapuram on the outskirts of Chennai, India, October 10, 2019. (Reuters photo)

Traffic restrictions in Chennai on Friday and Saturday

Traffic police, meanwhile, have announced diversions to the city from Mamallapuram and vice-versa on Friday and Saturday and have requested the public to cooperate in view of the visit of the foreign dignitary and the Prime Minister. Some colleges on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and its periphery have declared a holiday on Friday. Many Information Technology firms on OMR and ECR corridor have asked their employees to work from home in view of traffic diversions. Police conducted a dry run of VVIP convoy commute to ensure foolproof security.

When Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited Mamallapuram

When Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in this metropolis on Friday, he will the second high-profile leader from the Communist nation to have visited Tamil Nadu after India’s Independence.

The country’s first Premier Zhou Enlai had visited Chennai in December 1956 by making a short trip to Mamallapuram, 50 km from here, underlining the links that the ancient port city and China shared centuries ago. Besides visiting the rock monuments in Mamallapuram, the Chinese Premier also made a trip to Kulipanthandalam village near the ancient port city.

Read the full report here.

No piecemeal deal to settle border row, Modi to tell Xi

India is unlikely to accept China's piecemeal approach to settle the boundary dispute, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets ready to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tamil Nadu for an informal summit on Friday and Saturday.

Modi may rather convey to Xi that both sides should first work together on clearing doubts and narrowing differences on the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which serves as the de facto border between the two neighbours in the absence of a settled boundary.

Read the full report here.

Mamallapuram all decked up for PM Modi, Xi visit

Tamil Nadu capital Chennai and the ancient port city of Mamallapuram will come alive on Friday with the sounds of traditional music from across the country and wear a festive look to roll out a red carpet welcome to Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

The special aircraft carrying Xi, who is visiting India to participate in the second India-China informal summit, will touch down at Chennai Airport around 2.10 pm on Friday and the Chinese President will be welcomed by Tamil Nadu Governor, Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Read the full report here.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi would arrive at around 12.30 pm and will take a chopper to reach Taj Fisherman’s Cove, a luxurious resort in Kovalam which is the venue of the informal summit.

Parts of Chennai, entire Mamallapuram town, the scenic East Coast Road and the IT Corridor have been brought under tight security with thousands of policemen keeping a vigil round the clock.

Ahead of PM Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit, Tamil Nadu capital Chennai and the ancient port city of Mamallapuram will come alive today with the sounds of traditional music from across the country and wear a festive look to roll out a red carpet welcome to the two leaders.

Good moring readers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled reach Chennai's Mamallapuram today for an informal summit. During the two-day visit, he two leaders, who will be put up in ITC Grand, will visit Arjuna’s Penance, Five Rathas and Shore Temple, part of the Group of Monuments declared as World Heritage Sites and witness a range of cultural programmes that will presented by artists from Kalakshetra Foundation. Stay tuned for live updates.