Modi congratulates Xi on re-election as President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on his re-election for a second five-year term, saying he looks forward to work with him to further develop Sino-India relations.

Xi, 64, was unanimously elected by the 2,970 deputies of Chinese parliament the National People's Congress (NPC) last week.

Dear President Xi Jinping, congratulations on getting re-elected as the President of the People's Republic of China, Modi said in his message posted on his account on the Chinese social media platform Weibo today.

I look forward to working with you for further development of our bilateral relations," he said.

Modi had opened his account in the popular social media blog Weibo during his visit China in 2015. He has 1,83,379 followers.

Earlier, the NPC also ratified a proposal to remove the two-term limit for President paving the way for Xi to become leader for life.

India and China are currently making diplomatic efforts to improve the relations following the 73-day long standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim section.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale recently visited Beijing and held talks with top level Chinese officials, while Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently said that she planned to visit China next month.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet this year on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in June this year at the Chinese city of Qingdao.