The ties between the two neighbouring nuclear powers nose-dived following the Doklam standoff in 2017, but relations improved significantly following the Wuhan summit

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said the date and venue for the next informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is yet to be finalised. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said both sides are in touch with each other to finalise the details of the upcoming summit in India. Modi and Xi held an informal summit in the picturesque Chinese city of Wuhan in April last year, months after the Doklam standoff — the most serious military face-off in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours — which had triggered fears of a war. In the summit, Modi and Xi resolved to open a new chapter in ties and directed their militaries to boost coordination along the border.

“During the first informal summit in Wuhan, Chinese President Xi had accepted the invitation of PM Modi to visit India for the next informal summit in 2019. The two sides are in touch, through diplomatic channels, to finalise the date and venue for the meeting,” the MEA spokesperson said. His response came following reports in a section of the media about the venue and date of the Modi-Xi informal summit.

The ties between the two neighbouring nuclear powers nose-dived following the Doklam standoff in 2017, but relations improved significantly following the Wuhan summit. In the last one-and-half years, both sides have been making concerted efforts to reset ties.

In June last year, Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Qingdao to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a China dominated regional bloc. He held talks with Xi on the sidelines of the SCO summit, with an aim to to draw a blueprint for deepening bilateral ties. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam that began on June 16, 2017 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army in the disputed area. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam. The face-off ended on August 28.