Xi, Modi informal summit to boost mutual cooperation

The informal summit between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is helpful in promoting mutual trust, building consensus and setting the direction for bilateral ties, said an Indian expert.

B.R. Deepak, a professor of Chinese and China Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies in New Delhi, said that the Chennai summit in southern India is an indication that both sides have formalized such meetings following a previous summit in Wuhan, Hubei province, last year.

During the Wuhan summit, the two leaders agreed to issue strategic guidance to their militaries to build trust and mutual understanding.