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WORLD NEWS Saturday 12 OctOber 2019

China's president in India for summit amid Kashmir tensions

By RISHI LEKHI nearly two hours on Friday.
MAMALLAPURAM, India The talks will continue Satur-
(AP) — Chinese President Xi day.
Jinping on Friday met with Modi and Xi resolved to
India’s Prime Minister Na- work together in facing the
rendra Modi at a time of challenges of radicaliza-
tensions over Beijing’s sup- tion and terrorism besides
port for Pakistan in oppos- emphasizing on expand-
ing India’s downgrading of ing trade and investment,
Kashmir’s semi-autonomy the Press Trust of India
and continuing restrictions news agency cited India’s
on the disputed region. Foreign Secretary Vijay
Xi was greeted at the Chen- Gokhale as saying.
nai airport by Tamil Nadu There was an acknowl-
state Gov. Patwarilal Puro- edgement that both In-
hit as a cultural group beat dia and China were “very
drums and blew horns. complex and very diverse
India’s foreign ministry said countries” and both would
Xi and Modi met in the sea- work together so that radi-
side temple town of Ma- calization and terrorism did
mallapuram over dinner for not affect their multi-cultur-
In this handout photo provided by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Chinese President Xi Jin-
ping is received upon arrival in Chennai, India, Friday, Oct. 11, 2019.
Associated Press

al, multi-ethnic and multi- sands of security person- lockdown.
religious societies, Gokhale nel. Mamallapuram is 55 China supported Pakistan
said. He did not give de- kilometers (35 miles) south in raising India’s actions at
tails. of Chennai, the capital of the U.N. General Assem-
India accuses neighbor- Tamil Nadu state. bly meeting in New York.
ing Pakistan of arming and China claims some 90,000 China said India should not
training insurgent groups square kilometers (35,000 act unilaterally in Kashmir,
fighting for Kashmir’s inde- square miles) of territory in a portion of which China
pendence or its merger India’s northeast, while In- also controls.
with Pakistan since 1989. dia says China occupies Xi arrived two days after
Pakistan denies the charge. 38,000 square kilometers hosting Pakistan Prime Min-
Rescue teams attend the scene where a plane crashed while Kashmir is divided between (15,000 square miles) of its ister Imran Khan in Beijing.
taking off from Wilson airport in Nairobi, Kenya Friday, Oct. 11, India and Pakistan and the territory on the Aksai Chin On Friday, Pakistanis
2019. two countries have fought Plateau in the western Hi- formed a human chain in
Associated Press two wars over its control malayas. Officials have the capital, Islamabad, to
since they won indepen- met at least 20 times to dis- express their support for
Commercial plane crashes dence from British colonial- cuss the competing border people in Indian-controlled
ists in 1947.
Kashmir. In a speech to the
claims without making sig-
in Kenyan capital but all The leaders’ meeting in nificant progress. participants, Prime Minister
said safe Wuhan, China, in April 2018 The two countries fought a Imran Khan criticized Modi
was preceded by ten-
border war in 1962.
for downgrading Kashmir’s
sions caused by a 10-week India also is concerned status and said Kashmiris will
standoff between their about China’s moves to get independence soon.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A cause of the crash is not
small commercial plane yet known. armed forces on the Bhu- build strategic and eco- He termed the change in
has crashed while taking Local media have report- tan border. nomic ties with its neigh- Kashmir’s status a “stupid
off from an airport in Ke- ed some injuries as pas- Mamallapuram was deco- bors, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ban- act” and said Kashmiris will
nya's capital but operator sengers were being evacu- rated with arches studded gladesh and the Maldives. not accept it.
Silverstone Air says all pas- ated from the scene. with fruits and green vege- Tensions in Kashmir, which is India says Jammu and
sengers and crew have The plane was meant to fly tables. Hundreds of young divided between Pakistan Kashmir is an integral part
safely disembarked. to the coastal city of Mom- children in traditional dress and India but claimed by of India. “China is well
It is not immediately clear basa. carrying posters with pho- both, have escalated since aware of our position. It is
how many people were on The airline says in a state- tographs of Xi and Modi August, when India down- not for other countries to
board when the crash oc- ment it is working with the waited for hours to greet graded the semi-autono- comment on the internal
curred Friday morning at authorities to assess the the Chinese leader. my of Indian-administered affairs of India,” India’s Ex-
Nairobi's Wilson Airport. The situation.q The town was under tight Kashmir and imposed a se- ternal Affairs Ministry said in
surveillance, with thou- curity and communications a statement Wednesday.q