It is the first between the two leaders after India boycotted the high-profile Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing last month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met here on Friday on the sidelines of the SCO summit and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties hit by growing differences over a host of issues including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and India’s NSG membership bid.

It is the first between the two leaders after India boycotted the high-profile Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing last month in which 29 world leaders took part.

India abstained from the summit to highlight its concerns over the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and passes through Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Prime Minister Modi and Xi are here in the Kazakh capital to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“We spoke about India-China relations and how to further improve ties,” Modi tweeted after his meeting with Xi, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China.

China is vocal about its stand to block India’s admission into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). It had also stalled India’s move to list JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.

After Astana, Modi and Xi are also expected to cross paths at the G20 summit to be held next month in Hamburg, Germany followed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) summit to be held in Xiamen, China in September.

Modi also met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO.

“Taking forward #IndiaUzbekistan coop’n. PM @narendramodi meets President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan on the sidelines of SCO Summit,” Mr. Baglay tweeted.