PM Narendra Modi meets Xi Jinping, says fifth meeting in a year shows depth in ties

UFA (RUSSIA): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held discussions on bilateral ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping here and said their fifth meeting in a year shows the depth of India-China relationship.

The two leaders met ahead of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO) summits here.

It is the fourth bilateral meeting between the two leaders since their first in Fortaleza, Brazil, last July. In September 2014 Xi had visited India while Modi made a trip to China earlier this year in May. Xi and Modi had also visited each other's hometowns during their bilateral trips.

"Our 5th meeting in a year shows the depth of the India - China relationship," Modi was quoted by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup as telling Xi.

The meeting came before the seventh summit of BRICS, an emerging-market bloc that consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here.

The upcoming SCO summit is expected to pass a resolution on starting the procedures of granting India and Pakistan full membership of the organisation.

The SCO, founded in 2001, currently has six member states -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers and Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka as dialogue partners.