China’s Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Sunday hoped that an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping later this week in the Chinese city of Wuhan will enhance “good chemistry” between the two leaders and strengthen bilateral ties.

After a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced in Beijing that Modi and Xi will hold an informal summit in Wuhan city from April 27 to 28.

“The summit will highlight the personal friendship and enhance the good chemistry between the two leaders. I believe with the guidance of our two leaders and through joint efforts of the Chinese and Indian people including you and me, China-India relations will turn a new page,” Luo said in a video message while making a debut on Twitter.

Luo said Wuhan is his home town and that it will be an honour for him to witness the “historic” event in the city.

The informal meeting between PM Modi and Xi may well be a historic one and a defining moment in the history of Sino-Indian ties.

The announcement by the Indian and Chinese Foreign Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Wang Yi respectively indicates a revival in ties between India and China, which faced a rough patch after the Doklam stand-off last year.

Modi’s April 27-28 visit can be compared to the 1988 visit by then Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi who met then China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and reset the bilateral ties after the 1962 war.

“As agreed between the two sides, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have an informal summit meeting from April 27 to 28 in Wuhan, Hubei province,” Wang said.

“We see socialism with Chinese characteristics is entering a new era and India is at a crucial stage of the development and revitalisation. It is against this backdrop that President Xi and Prime Minister Modi have decided to hold an informal summit,” Wang announced with Sushma Swaraj standing by his side.

Wang said that both sides were working on the meeting for long and would make sure that the informal summit was a complete success and a new milestone in the history of China-India relations.

Modi will also visit China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in June.

(With agencies inputs)