The Kashmir issue was not discussed during the one-on-one talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said on Saturday.
Addressing a press a conference after the second Modi-Xi informal summit held in Tamil Nadu's Mamallapuram wrapped up, the Foreign Secretary said, "This [Kashmir] issue was not raised and not discussed. Our position is anyways very clear that this is an internal matter of India."
However, Modi and Xi agreed that both countries should work together to deal with the challenge of terrorism, he said.
"Both leaders agreed that it was important to deal with challenges of terrorism and radicalisation in an increasingly complex world. Both are leaders of countries which are not only large in terms of areas and population but also in terms of diversity," Vijay Gokhale said.
Vijay Gokhale also said President Jinping invited PM Modi to China for the next India-China summit. "PM Modi has accepted the invitation. Dates will be worked out later," he added.
Meanwhile, before departing for China Xi said their "candid", "heart-to-heart" discussions on bilateral relations were "in-depth" and "good", noting that maintaining and expanding the Sino-India relations is a firm policy of his government.
The opening remarks by the two leaders at the delegation-level talks are seen as a clear reflection of attempts to recalibrate ties that were strained following India's decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi said the Wuhan summit led to increased stability and fresh momentum in Sino-India relations as strategic communication increased between the two sides.