Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Chennai on the 11th of this month on a two-day visit to India for the Second Informal Summit. Sources said, Mr Jinping will be accompanied by Member of Politburo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Mr Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had their inaugural Informal Summit in Wuhan, China in April last year.

An official release said, the forthcoming Chennai Informal Summit will provide an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping 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 objective of the summit is building contacts at highest level, exchanging views on strategic issues and creating broad pathway for progress in bilateral ties. Government sources said, no signing of documents is expected during the Chinese President’s visit as this is an informal summit. India and China are also likely to hold joint anti-terror exercise in December.

Government sources said, on Article 370, India’s position is clear that the matter is a sovereign decision and there will be no discussion from Indian side. They also said India does not see Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China ahead of Mr Jinping’s visit to India as hyphenation, as it is of no concern to India.

Mamallapuram, the historical coastal town, is hosting the two leaders for the Informal Summit on Friday. It is a world heritage site with strong connections with China which also showcases the tourism potential of Tamil Nadu. Mamallapuram was the sea port of the Pallava dynasty who had trade ties with ancient China. Buddhist monk Bodhidharma traveled to China via Mamallapuram and contributed to the spread of Buddhism in China. Chinese monk Hiuen Tsang alighted on this port town to continue his journey to Kancheepuram in the 7th century A.D. The year 2020 will mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India. Last year, bilateral trade between the two nations reached an all-time high of 95.54 billion dollars.