It is the second informal summit

The historic coastal town of Mamallapuram on the scenic East Coast Road in Tamil Nadu is expected to be the venue for the second India-China informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled in October this year.

Mr. Modi will host Mr. Xi for two days — October 11 and 13 — in Mamallapuram, informed sources in the government said. Arrangements are being supervised at the highest levels of the Central and State governments.

During the summit, besides holding talks, the leaders are likely to make a visit to the ancient monuments in the coastal town. The monuments there have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the first informal summit in Wuhan, the leaders had made a visit to the Hubei provincial museum.

A Chinese delegation is also to be apprised of the arrangements prior to Mr. Jinping’s visit.

A meeting with senior officials of the Union External Affairs Ministry and the Tamil Nadu government was held in Chennai recently.

The first informal summit between both the leaders was held in Wuhan in China during April 27-28 last year, “to exchange views on overarching issues of bilateral and global importance, and to elaborate their respective visions and priorities for national development in the context of the current and future international situation,” according to the Union External Affairs Ministry.

Mamallapuram also hosted the Defence Expo 2018 or known as Defexpo, the Union Defence Ministry’s annual event with international participation. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the event last year. An official said this was the first time in the recent times that an event of historical importance with diplomatic ties was being held in Tamil Nadu.