PM Modi may hold talks with Jinping on sidelines of BRICS summit, hints MEA

India on Friday refused to disclose what Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the upcoming BRICS summit in China and said that it would be premature to share it now.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar didn't completely rule out Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

When asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping, Kumar said it is a common practice to have such meetings on the sidelines of multilateral forums.

"It is a common practice at such forum that bilateral meetings arranged," he said in a press briefing here.

Replying to the question on the possibility of Doklam standoff discussion during Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Jinping, Kumar said, "It would be premature to share at this stage what are the issues which will be discussed with other leaders."

India and China ended the Doklam standoff on Monday by withdrawing troops from the area, just days before Prime Minister Modi's visit to China to attend the BRICS summit.

Reacting to China's statement that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit, Kumar said India's position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

The MEA spokesperson further said that they cannot pre-empt what Prime Minister Modi will say during the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

"Our position on terrorism is very clear. It is not possible for me to pre-empt what the Prime Minister will speak during BRICS summit," he said in a press briefing.

Addressing media in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had on Thursday said, "We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit.