Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided the topic of a territorial dispute and instead pushed forward on trade relations during their summit over the weekend.

As the leaders of the world's two most populous countries met in the coastal town of Mamallapuram in southern India, they sidestepped what could have been another quarrel over disputed territory. Ahead of the summit, Chinese state media reported Xi would support Pakistan in the dispute over Kashmir — a territory also claimed by India.

But Reuters reported Xi did not discuss Kashmir with Modi on Saturday, and instead they mostly discussed issues of trade and investment.

"It seems like what the two leaders have done is try to set some of the thorny political issues to the side," said Dhruva Jaishankar, director of the U.S. Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation.