Cautious optimism on Sino-Indian ties as Modi leaves for informal summit with Jinping

The meeting between the top leaders of two most populous nuclear armed countries will be held in Wuhun, a central Chinese city, on Friday and Saturday.

But analysts say a dramatic otucome is not so easy given the differencesn betwee the two nations.

"Given the depth and breadth of the problems between India and China, it will be unwise to expect dramatic breakthroughs at the Wuhan summit. Consider, for example, the current state of the relationship. Talks have long stalled on resolving the boundary dispute even as the structure of the frontier has become more prone to standoffs between the two armed forces," writes  C. Raja Mohan, director, Carnegie India, Delhi, in an article in Indian Express.

Both India and China have been on the loggerheads for a long period of time in 2017 over the Doklam standoff.

The stand-off started in June, 2017 when Indian troops stepped in to stop China from constructing a road at Bhutan-India-China tri-junction in Doklam.

For about several months, both the Indian and Chinese troops stared at each other at the border until a settlement in August.

The enmity had reached to such a point that China even threatened India of war, similar to the 1962 Indo-Sino war which had dealt a blow to India back then owing to its military unprepareness.

The Indian government too reacted sharply saying Modi-led country in 2017 is not the same as it was five decades ago.

In August 2017, both the countries have agreed to pull out their soldiers from the disputed territory.

The dispute has been continuing for overs several decades as China claims around 90,000 square kilometers of India's northeast region.

Though both the nations tried to resolve the dispute through diplomacy and several meetings, they failed to arrive at a consensus.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang, has been quoted by AP, "Our common interests far outweigh our divergences."

Modi's visit could provide a breakthrough as the Indian Prime Minister would eye on to draw dividends in his national politics by restoring peace and establishing a smooth relationship between the two countries.

Pro-government Global Times in a recent editorial said: "Maintaining border peace and stability is a prerequisite for Sino-Indian relations. The border dispute is a leftover from history that is unlikely to be solved in a short time. That the Doklam deadlock was peacefully handled through diplomatic means manifested the political wisdom of both sides and the importance of promoting trust and managing differences. "

In another editorial it said: "Conflicts between China and India have kept accumulating, which exposed the fragility of Sino-Indian relations and prompted both sides to recognize that confrontation between China and India does not fit their interests. Disputes must be controlled."

It said while in 1987, the Sino-Indian skirmish broke out, in 1988, then Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visited former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, which normalized Sino-Indian relations.

"The two nations later maintained 30 years of stable development.

"The Xi-Modi meeting in 2018 following the 2017 Doklam standoff will without doubt promote mutual trust and reciprocity between the two countries, and will be a cornerstone of a stable long-term relationship between China and India," said Global Times.

Before leaving the country for China, Modi's intent could be clearly seen in a tweet which reads, "We will also review the developments in India-China relations from a strategic and long-term perspective."