Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping will be meeting for a summit at Mahabalipuram on October 11 and 12.
All eyes are on the coastal town of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold an informal summit on October 11 and 12.
This is the second informal summit between the two leaders. The first Indo-China summit was held at Wuhan in China last year, where the leaders normalised relations between the two countries following a military stand-off at Doklam in 2017.
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Security has been stepped up in Chennai and the coastal town, with entry barred for all except residents of the town. Archaeological sites in Mahabalipuram have been spruced up ahead of the VVIPs’ visit, with public entry to the sites banned until the end of the summit.
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Work in progress at Krishna’s Butter Ball, a monument that Modi and Xi are expected to visit. (Express Photo: Arun Janardhanan)
The venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping over Friday and Saturday has been referred to, interchangeably, Mamallapuram and Mahabalipuram. It is 56 km to the south of Chennai on the coast. The Ministry of External Affairs’ media advisory mentions ‘Mahabalipuram’, and officials have been using that name in informal communication. Read More
Sources said the CBMs, which were agreed upon in 1993 and 1995, have become outdated with the advent of technology over the last 25 years. “The idea is to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control. So, there is a need for the two leaders to discuss whether the existing CBMs, which date back more than two decades, need to be updated or supplemented,” sources said. While the broad contours will be discussed between Modi and Xi, the CBMs may be announced during the Special Representative-level talks or during a meeting between defence officials.
New and updated confidence building measures (CBMs) along the border will be one of the major themes of discussion during the two-day second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping starting Friday, sources told The Indian Express. Read More
Southern Railway has announced that trains plying through Guindy will be halted temporarily during Chinese Premier Xi Jinping's arrival at the city. Suburban trains will be halted at Pallavaram temporarily until the Chinese Premier reaches ITC Grand Chola Hotel at Guindy on Friday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy along with other AIADMK office-bearers made a spot visit to Mamallapuram and reviewed the security arrangements ahead of the highly anticipated summit taking place on October 11 and 12.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami took to Twitter on Wednesday and urged people in the state to give a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping wholeheartedly to Tamil Nadu ahead of their two-day summit at Mahabalipuram.
Chinese premier Xi Jinping is expected to land in the city by Friday afternoon and will be heading to ITC Grand Chola near Guindy, where he would be staying during his two-day trip. As part of the security measures, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) has imposed restrictions on the movement of traffic along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), East Coast Road (ECR), Anna Salai, Sardar Patel Road, and GST Road in Chennai.
Read full story | Modi-Xi summit in Chennai: Traffic restrictions imposed; here are roads and places to avoid
With the Modi-Xi summit set to take place at Mahabalipuram tomorrow, the Chennai City Police have tightened security in Chennai along the Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway / Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). Police personnel have been setting up barricades outside the Kasturibai Nagar MRTS Station opposite Madhya Kailash in a bid to streamline the crowds.
The convoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel from from ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Guindy towards Mahabalipuram via OMR and take the East Coast Road (ECR) from the Sholinganallur junction.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping set to attend their second, informal summit at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu on Friday and Saturday, all eyes will be on the temple town which is home to various stone sculptures and temples carved during the Pallava era.
With the temple town undergoing a makeover ahead of the VVIPs’ visit, here is all that you need to know about this historical site which is a popular destination for tourists from around the world.
Read full story | Mahabalipuram: All you need to know about the coastal town in Tamil Nadu
From AD 1 to 600, transmission of Buddhism from India to China paralleled an active trade between the two countries. Buddhism was the main factor in promoting mutual interactions. According to Chinese scholar Liu Xinru, India was considered to be a holy land by many due to religious reasons. Buddhism rituals and religious activities promoted the production and distribution of commercial goods.
During AD 600 to 1400, there was a realignment in Indo-Chinese relations. Despite the decline in Buddhism, non-Buddhist merchandise between the two countries began to thrive, especially after AD 1000. At the same time, due to political instability in Central Asia, maritime routes became a more viable way for transporting commodities.
With Chinese President Xi Jinping's convoy expected to leave from the Chennai International Airport after 02:30 pm on Friday, arrivals and departures at the airport are likely to run into a few delays. More than 30 flights are expected to face delays between 12 pm and 3 pm, owing to the arrival of the flights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), there will be no more aerial movement at the airport during the touch down of the VVIPs' flights. Although passenger flights may not be rescheduled, AAI has directed airlines to inform passengers to arrive at the airport for departure well in advance.
The name Mamallapuram derives from Mamallan, or “great warrior”, a title by which the Pallava King Narasimhavarman I (630-668 AD) was known. It was during his reign that Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist monk-traveller, visited the Pallava capital at Kanchipuram.
Narasimhavarman II (c.700-728 AD), also known as Rajasimhan, built on the work of earlier Pallava kings to consolidate maritime mercantile links with southeast Asia. Most interestingly, as historian Tansen Sen recorded in his 2003 work Buddhism, Diplomacy and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600-1400, Narasimhavarman II sent a mission to the Tang court in 720 with a request that would seem unusual in the context of India-China relations today.
The history of Tamil-Chinese interactions dates back to two thousand year ago. From the renowned Buddhist monk XuanZang to nameless explorers, numerous Chinese travellers and historians have left notes on Tamil people and Tamil Nadu in the past two thousand years. The earliest historical document which recorded this mutual contact was Hanshu (The History of Han Dynasty) in 111CE. Till the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1636- 1912), records of Tamil-Chinese exchanges can be traced abundantly in both official and folk historical documents.
Residents of Mahabalipuram have been issued special identity cards to enable movement within the town during the summit and have been instructed to not entertain guests at home. Guest houses and resorts at the town have been instructed to not entertain tourists until the end of the summit.
Read full story | Modi-Xi Summit: Security beefed up, restrictions on traffic movement in Mahabalipuram
More than 1500 students from Everwin school in Kolathur area of Chennai orchestrated a grand reception to Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of his visit to the city on October 11. They were seen wearing the masks of the Chinese premier and waved flags of India and China.
About 700 dancers have been roped in for a cultural performance at the Modi-Xi summit at Mahabalipuram. Dancers from the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai are expected to put up a Bharatanatyam and Kathakali recital for the leaders at the summit.
“Preparations for cultural events to greet the delegation are in the final stages. About 700 dancers have completed rehearsals. We have arranged folk and traditional dancers, and musicians, too,” said an IAS officer to The Indian Express.
Read full story | TN goes all out for Modi-Xi summit: 9,000 policemen, 7,000 students, 700 artists lined up
Officials overseeing security preparation ahead of the Modi-Xi summit told The Indian Express that several roadside tea stalls have been dismantled, and encroachments on government lands removed at Mahabalipuram. Dozens of shops near the shore temple, where Modi and Xi are expected to spend most of their time Friday evening, have been shut for days. Government transport buses have been asked to stop 3 km outside town.
Read full story | TN goes all out for Modi-Xi summit: 9,000 policemen, 7,000 students, 700 artists lined up
Preparations are underway to give Chennai International Airport a makeover as the city gets ready to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping ahead of the Modi-Xi summit at Mahabalipuram on October 11 and 12.
NEARLY 7,000 students on the road to cheer the two leaders, 9,000 police personnel, 700 performers, stringent traffic curbs, 500 CCTV cameras and 24/7 vigil along the coast.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) announced on Tuesday that public entry to tourism sites at Mahabalipuram such as the iconic Shore Temple, Pancha Ratha temples, Krishna Butterball, Lighthouse etc has been barred until the end of the VVIPs’ visit for security purposes.
Fishermen, swimmers and surfers have been barred from venturing out into the sea at Mahabalipuram until the end of the summit.
Read full story | Modi-Xi Summit: Security beefed up, restrictions on traffic movement in Mahabalipuram
On Wednesday, police personnel were busy conducting door-to-door verification along the East Coast Road (ECR) from Chennai to Mahabalipuram — VVIPs from Chennai, including political leaders from all major parties, are expected to take this route.
Read full story | TN goes all out for Modi-Xi summit: 9,000 policemen, 7,000 students, 700 artists lined up
Mahabalipuram, or Mamallapuram, 56 km south of Chennai on the Tamil Nadu coast, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet China’s President Xi Jinping on October 11 & 12 in an informal Wuhan-style summit, had ancient links with Buddhism and China through the maritime outreach of the Pallava dynasty. The setting speaks to several contemporary themes in India-China relations — and of contacts, both continuous and changing, across space and time. While the powerful symbolism of Mahabalipuram will likely not succeed in influencing China’s hard-nosed assertion over J&K and other issues with India, the remarkable historical significance of the venue bears underlining.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) have issued the following details regarding traffic restrictions in Chennai on October 12.
07:30 am to 2 pm: Vehicles proceeding towards the city along Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway/Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) will be diverted at Sholinganallur towards Perumbakkam.
7 am to 01:30 pm: Vehicles plying along the East Coast Road (ECR) will be barred from entering Akkarai towards Muttukadu.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) have issued the following details regarding restriction of traffic movement in Chennai on October 11.
12: 30 pm to 2 pm: Vehicles coming towards the city from Perungalathur via GST Road will be diverted along Maduravoyal Outer Ring Road, while vehicles from south Chennai will be redirected along the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road and Chromepet-Tambaram road onto Maduravoyal Outer Ring Road.
03: 30 pm to 04: 30 pm: Vehicles heading towards the city along GST road will be barred from entering Kathipara junction at Guindy and diverted towards Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.
2 pm to 9 pm: Vehicles proceeding towards the city along Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway/Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) will be diverted at Sholinganallur towards Perumbakkam. Vehicles plying along the East Coast Road (ECR) will be barred from entering Akkarai towards Muttukadu.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) have imposed restrictions on the movement of traffic along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), East Coast Road (ECR), Anna Salai, Sardar Patel Road and GST road in Chennai during the Modi-Xi summit at Mahabalipuram on October 11 and 12.
On both days, citizens travelling along the routes will have to plan their commute ahead to avoid traffic snarls and diversions. All heavy vehicles will be barred from entering the roads mentioned above between 6 am and 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.
Ahead of the Modi-Xi summit, the coastal town of Mahabalipuram has come under heavy security cover with thousands of police personnel deployed to provide secuirty during the VVIPs' visit. "About 9,000 police personnel are ready for deployment. All traffic intersections from Mahabalipuram to the hotel at Guindy in Chennai, where the Chinese delegation will be staying, will be secured. At least 3,000 police personnel are being brought from other districts,” a senior security officer told The Indian Express.
Security agencies have imposed restrictions on fishing activities, with the Navy and Coast Guard stepping up patrolling on the Bay of Bengal.
Read full story | TN goes all out for Modi-Xi summit: 9,000 policemen, 7,000 students, 700 artists lined up
With two days to go for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to attend the informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu is going all out to ensure that the pieces are in place for the 200-member delegation from China.
“We have arranged 6,800 students to welcome the Chinese President on his arrival at the airport and en route to the hotel where he will take rest before leaving for Mahabalipuram”, a senior security officer told The Indian Express.
Read full article | TN goes all out for Modi-Xi summit: 9,000 policemen, 7,000 students, 700 artists lined up
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on the Modi-Xi summit at Mahabalipuram, security, traffic restrictions in Mahabalipuram and Chennai for the next two day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the city in real time.