Xi, Modi both face domestic challenges

The estrangement period has been a sobering one for both leaders, who took charge of their nations within 18 months of each other.

China's economy has slowed significantly in the post-Covid-19 era and Mr Xi, meanwhile, has been made aware of the limits of his power – for instance, on the housing issue where his well-intentioned efforts to rein in speculation, necessary by any yardstick, has had to be moderated against the larger need to keep the economy ticking and people employed.

Relations with the US and other key Western nations have dipped badly under Mr Xi, although they now seem to have found a floor.

Suspected Western penetration and a sustained disinformation campaign mounted by the West have sown much confusion in Chinese top ranks.

For Mr Modi, the mid-year national election has been a sobering one, marked by a fall in his personal popularity and that of his Bharatiya Janata Party.