Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off their two-day informal summit on Friday, the second one after the Wuhan edition last year, at Mahabalipuram about 50 km from Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai. Clad in a simple, white dhoti and shirt, Modi received Xi in front of Arjuna's Penance, a stone sculpture at Mahabalipuram. The two leaders held a two-and-half-hour conversation over dinner during which they discussed a range of issues including the challenges being faced by both the countries on account of terrorism. “Both leaders said they were large countries, and that radicalisation was a matter of concern to both. And that both would work together. The two leaders also discussed issues pertaining to the trade deficit and how to enhance the trade volume, and tried to identify areas of investments,” Gokhale said. Modi and Xi will meet again today at the Tango Hall in Taj Fisherman’s Cove, which will be followed by delegation-level talks. There will press statements from both sides and no joint statement or MoUs are expected.
