Chennai: The Kashmir issue was neither  raised nor discussed during the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, confirmed Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.
“This (Kashmir) issue was not raised and not discussed. Our position is anyway very clear that this is an internal matter of India,” Gokhale said at a special press briefing following the culmination of the two-day summit.

Xi, however, apprised Modi of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing earlier this week, Gokhale added.
The summit was held amid the strain in the bilateral relationship because of China’s strong support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue over the past few weeks. India had also taken exception to references concerning Kashmir following talks between Xi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ahead of the Chinese President’s visit to India for the informal meet. 

"There was new focus on people to people relations. It was decided that public of both countries must be brought in the relationship.Ideas were exchanged on this," Gokhale said. 

This was quality time that the two leaders spent together one-on-one,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had said after the meeting, adding the leaders agreed to work together so that radicalisation and terrorism do not affect the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies of the two nations.

He said the two leaders also deliberated on trade and economic issues with a focus on identifying new areas for investment and enhancing trade volume and value of two-way trade. The issue of trade deficit and trade imbalance was also discussed, the foreign secretary said.

Addressing a press meet, Gokhale said President Xi has said that China is ready to take concrete measures to reduce trade deficit. Building on the 'Wuhan spirit', the prime minister spoke of "Chennai connect" for a new era of cooperation between India and China, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifts a hand-woven silk portrait to Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mamallapuram on Saturday before he left for Nepal after India.