Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 14th ASEAN-India Summit and the 11th East Asia Summit to be held in Vientiane, Lao PDR on Thursday, where all parties embroiled in the South China Sea controversy will be at the same platform.
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In the bilateral meeting with Xi, Modi raised India’s concerns over the United States dollars 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through PoK and told Xi that “to ensure durable ties and their steady development, it is of paramount importance that we respect each other’s aspirations, concerns and strategic interests”.
“The two sides also agreed to respect and accommodate each other’s concerns and properly handle sensitive issues to avoid their impedance to the normal development of bilateral relations”, Hua said in response to a question.
Terming sea lanes passing through the strategic South China Sea as the “main arteries” of global trade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India supports freedom of navigation as he sought “utmost respect” for worldwide law, amid China’s muscle flexing in the region.
PM Modi took a strong stand against terrorism and said that India is willing to take concrete steps to enhance cooperation in cyber security, de-radicalization and Counter Terrorism. Further, since Singh’s trip, tensions with Pakistan have only heightened, especially over the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, and with PM Modi ramping up rhetoric on atrocities in Balochistan.
The East Asia Summit is an exclusive club of leaders-led forum in the Asia-Pacific.
He also invited the US President to visit India after demitting office to which Obama said he would welcome any opportunity to visit India.
Stepping up his attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is “one country in our neighbourhood” which “produces and exports” terror as he pressed the global community to isolate and sanction “this” instigator.
Modi and Xi are constantly meeting and set to meet again in Goa during BRICS summit next month and at the UN General Assembly.
This could be the last meeting between Modi and Obama as leaders of the two countries with Obama’s second term as US President coming to an end in January next year.
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“The issue (of Kulbhushan) will be raised because of its direct links with incidents of terrorism in Pakistan”, he said.
