Leading from the chair, Modi addressed the Brics Leaders Meeting in Hangzhou (China), before the 8th annual Summit in Goa from October 15-16.
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At Hangzhou, China PM also met Indian students who are volunteering as interpreters for delegates at the G20 Summit. China’s blockade over India’s bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and the controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project are among these issues.
The Prime Minister also said that India needs energy to support its development.
“It will provide a new direction, momentum and substance to our bilateral cooperation”.
The issue of terrorism also figured in the Modi-May meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
The US, The UK, Turkey, South Korea, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Indonesia, India, Germany, France, China, Brazil, Canada, Australia, European Union and Argentina make the G20.
China is involved in a raging dispute with the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei over ownership of territory in the South China Sea (SCS), a busy waterway through which India’s 50 per cent trade passes.
India is the chair this year of the grouping.
Modi, who is the fourth Indian prime minister to visit Vietnam during past about 50 years, was given a guard of honour and ceremonial welcome by the Vietnamese government.
“Our decision to upgrade our Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership captures the intent and path of our future cooperation”, he sated. “(We) discussed matters concerning the East Sea.
They hoped that all relevant parties would resolve their disputes using amicable measures as per global law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Modi also visited the tomb of Vietnam’s independence leader and communist crusader Ho Chi Minh, posting a photo on Twitter of the monument where the embalmed national hero is on display, saying: “Paid tributes to one of Asia’s tallest leaders, the great Ho Chi Minh”.
Referring to the centuries-old cultural connect between the people of the two countries, Modi said that an Indian Cultural Centre would be opened in Hanoi soon.
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India and Vietnam share borders and large trade volumes with China. Vietnam, which has a ruthless understanding of self interest, did not hesitate to confront with “powerful” China to protect its interest in the past. India’s bilateral trade with Vietnam now stands at $7.8 billion. “Vietnam and India, as State Parties to the UNCLOS, urged all parties to show utmost respect for the UNCLOS, which establishes the worldwide legal order of the seas and oceans”, said the joint statement.
