14 June, 2017
The "all weather friendship" between China and Pakistan suffered a setback on Friday as Chinese president Xi Jinping decided not to meet Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif during the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana.
In the meeting at Kazakh capital, Astana, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Xi said the two countries should also cooperate more and provide assistance to each other in meeting the development goals.
While Modi during his speech has specifically stressed on the need of a united approach to combat terrorism, Modi said, "it was impossible to reach a solution till all countries made concerted efforts to fight radicalization, terrorist recruitment, training and financing".
The bloc's summit was hosted by the Kazakhistan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the independence palace, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif were also present.
India has been an observer to the forum since 2005.
Heads of states of China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan congratulated Pakistan and India after signing documents for their membership.
President Jinping said China and India, as the two largest developing countries in the world, should focus more on cooperation, advance side by side, lend support to each other's development, uphold world peace and promote common development.
A visit in April by Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing brands a separatist, to a region controlled by India but claimed by China stoked tensions between the two countries. He said Pakistan and its forces are valiantly fighting the menace of terrorism and Pakistan has rendered enormous human and economic sacrifices in the struggle in the recent years. Official sources said Modi and Sharif were in the Leaders Lounge at the Astana Opera tonight before the SCO concert where they exchanged greetings.
Speaking at the SCO Summit, Prime Minister Modi on Friday termed terrorism as the main encroacher of the human rights and values. India has also alleged that China embarked on the initiative without consulting it.
The half-hour meeting, at which the two leaders were assisted by their key aides, was very cordial and positive, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told the media, adding that Modi thanked Xi for supporting India's accession to the SCO grouping.
