PM Modi meets China Prez's right-hand man Cai Qi during SCO summit

In Tianjin, Modi also had a separate meeting with Cai Qi , Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China , and a powerful political ally of Xi. Cai is seen internationally as Xi's right-hand man and also the man the US apparently wanted to fill in for the president at Trump's swearing-in in Jan.

According to Indian authorities, Modi shared with Cai his vision for bilateral relations and sought his support to realise the vision of the two leaders. Cai reiterated the Chinese side's desire to expand bilateral exchanges and further improve relations in line with the consensus reached between the two leaders, said the govt.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said there was originally a proposal from the Chinese side for Cai to host a banquet for Modi on behalf of Xi. "This was meant as a special gesture to show the importance attached by China to the visit of the Prime Minister, which was taking place after a hiatus of nearly 7 years. However, as there was a scheduling conflict, it was decided to have a brief meeting between them," said Misri.