A day after the resolution of the Doklam standoff, India announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a three-day visit to China, even as Bhutan welcomed the diplomatic end of the border crisis. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also announced that Mr. Modi’s visit to China for the BRICS summit will be followed by his visit to Myanmar.
“At the invitation of the President of People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen, in China’s Fujian province during September 3-5, 2017 to attend the 9th BRICS Summit,” said the MEA in an official press release.
India on Monday declared de-escalation of the two-month-long standoff on the Doklam plateau that led to dramatic rise in tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. Citing a senior government official, The Hindu had reported that the trip is likely to include a one-on-one meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping on September 4. The meeting between the two leaders will be the first since they exchanged courtesies during the July 7-8 G20 summit meeting in Hamburg.
The announcement of Mr. Modi’s visit to Xiamen came hours after Bhutan issued a press statement welcoming the end of the Doklam-related tension between India and China and said, “We hope this contributes to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity and status quo along the borders of Bhutan, China and India in keeping with existing agreements between the respective countries.”
Myanmar visit
Mr. Modi will return home after paying a significant visit to Myanmar between September 5-7.
The MEA noted that the visit would be the first to that country by Mr. Modi and include Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and the ancient Buddhist city of Bagan.
“During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on matters of mutual interest and also call on President U Htin Kyaw,” said the official announcement.
Mr. Modi had hosted Ms. Suu Kyi during an outreach for the BIMSTEC on the sideline of the BRICS summit held in Goa in 2016. The visit to Myanmar comes days after India expressed concern over fights between Rohingya attackers and the Myanmar security forces.
In a strong statement issued on August 26, India extended support to the Myanmar security forces and described the attackers as “terrorists.”
