Modi meets Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, discusses bilateral issues

Mumbai: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at the latter's 7, Race Course Road official residence.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh were also present at the meeting between the two leaders.

The two leaders reportedly discussed bilateral issues related to their two countries.

On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met for three hours today to talk about "perennial" bilateral issues which were not specified by an Indian Spokesperson but are believed to have included the boundary dispute, incursions, issuance of stapled visas by China to certain category of Indians, construction of dams on Brahmaputra river and increased Chinese investments.

Dispatched here by Chinese President Xi Jinping as his Special Envoy to meet with India new leadership, Wang was effusive in his praise for the new government saying it had injected new vitality into an ancient civilization. "The international community is closely following developments in India and the Chinese and Indian dreams have a lot of commonalities," the Chinese leader was quoted as speaking by the Spokesperson.

The talks were described as "cordial, useful, productive and substantive" by the MEA Spokesperson, who said, "Even while there was a determination to add new content and substance to the relationship, there was an understanding that respect for the sensitivities and aspirations of each other was an essential for expansion of bilateral relations."