India said on Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will be paying a visit to India in the coming days amid growing regional tension. “At the invitation of the Prime Minister, the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping will be visiting Chennai, India from 11-12 October, 2019 for the 2nd Informal Summit,” the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Both the leaders had held the first Informal Summit in Wuhan, China in April 2018. “The forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership,” the statement added.
The upcoming visit comes amidst heightened regional tension especially after India’s decision to abrogate a constitutional provision giving special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Xi Jinping is coming to India to iron out differences between the two neighboring countries especially after the launch of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
India has called upon both its neighbors to stop all activities related to the CPEC as it is passing through the disputed territories. India-China relations have also been affected after New Delhi’s decision to revoke constitutional provision granting special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where China has some territorial claims in addition to the claims to the border state of Arunachal Pradesh.