Letter to BS: Modi-Xi summit achieved no significant breakthroughs

The optics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as a pair in a laidback mood in an idyllic setting was excellent, yet deceptive. Plogging by Modi left the popular seaside resort more salubrious and demonstrated his commitment to Swachh Bharat. The Chinese leader appeared pleased by the gift of a special gold-and-red silk shawl featuring him. Also, the summit yielded the new alliterative coinage “Chennai Connect”, a variant of “Wuhan Spirit”. 

That said, the high profile summit can be reckoned only as a “qualified success” as both the leaders stuck to their known positions on the bilateral