Navy, Coast Guard deploy warships for security ahead of PM Modi-President Xi Jinping meeting in Mahabalipuram

New Delhi: The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have deployed warships at some distance from the shore to provide security from any seaborne threat in Mahabalipuram ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting on Friday.  

Pictures of the warships deployed in the sea have been tweeted by news agency ANI. 

The second informal summit between PM Modi and President Xi is scheduled for Friday. The Chinese President will arrive in India for his two-day visit in the afternoon in Chennai, after which he will go to the coastal town Mahabalipuram.

PM Modi will give President Xi a guided tour of the three important UNESCO world heritage sites in Mahabalipuram - Arjuna's Penance, Panch Rathas and Shore Temple. In the evening, both the world leaders will see cultural performances at the Shore Temple followed by a dinner hosted by PM Modi.

The venue for their meeting was been zeroed in on Mahabalipuram as the place holds a strong connection with China and PM Modi is of the view that we need to show other parts of India and particularly southern India, a source said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is an enthusiast of history and culture and it was "evident to the PM during the first informal summit in Wuhan" so India was "looking for the venue with a world heritage site" the source explained.

Mahabalipuram is a world heritage site and was listed in 1984. Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang had visited Kanchipuram during Pallava dynasty in the seventh century and spoken about the visit elaborately. Mahabalipuram has been a major port city during the Pallava kingdom in the seventh century.

Then there is also a sea connect. There have been major trading connections between Pallava and Chola kingdoms of South India with the southeastern coast of China particularly the province of Fujian and city of Quanzhou.

The upcoming informal summit will provide an opportunity to PM Modi and President Xi to continue their discussions on overarching issues of bilateral, regional and global importance and to exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement.