Modi meets Xi in Hamburg amid escalating border tensions

HAMBURG: Amid worsening relations between the two Asian giants triggered by a protracted border standoff, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping discussed “a range of issues” to defuse tensions that could spin out of control, if not managed with tact. The leaders of the two countries shook hands warmly and smiled on the sidelines of the meeting of BRICS countries in Hamburg,  which belied an increasingly hostile atmosphere that has enveloped bilateral ties. Reliable sources said the conversation lasted for nearly four minutes. Ahead of the G20 summit, China ruled out a bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Xi, saying the atmosphere is not ripe and conducive for the leaders’ meeting.