File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping (Reuters)

Although China has recently dragged the Kashmir issue to the United Nations, it will not be a “major topic” during the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet in India in the coming weeks, a senior Chinese official said here on Tuesday. Though the dates have not yet been finalised, the two leaders are expected to hold an informal meeting, without aides, in October.

As seen during their informal summit in Wuhan last year, the two leaders will concentrate on larger strategic matters instead of focusing on one or two specific issues, Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

The leaders will discuss “those issues of strategic thinking of broad sense of the picture,” Hua said. “I think for those things like Kashmir, I don’t think it will be a major topic occupying the talks… that is my understanding. They will be free to talk on whatever they like, that is my understanding,” she said.

Both countries are keen to make a big success of the meeting and would not allow differences on issues like Kashmir to become a major hurdle, sources said.

Hua indicated that the two leaders will discuss the boundary dispute during the summit. The Chinese leader will also try to push for adoption of his Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by India. “We can work together to safeguard to maintain peace and stability in the border areas, so that we can increase the mutual trust and broaden our cooperation,” the spokesperson said.

Hua said she is aware that there was reluctance to join Belt and Road Initiative and some people in India looked at it with suspicion. She said there was “no hidden agenda” on the part of China for pushing BRI and India had a lot to benefit from it in terms of infrastructure development.

