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It May Not Look Like Much, But This Handshake Between Xi and Modi is a Big Deal

by Eric Olander
Chinese President Xi Jinping casually encountered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tuesday's gala dinner for G20 leaders.

They looked at each other, smiled, shook hands for an uncomfortably long time, and even exchanged a few pleasantries.

It may not look like much, but this brief interaction between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tuesday’s gala dinner for G20 leaders marked a dramatic improvement over their last meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan when they couldn’t even look at one another.

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