Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Chennai on Fridaymorning ahead of his informal summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping who willbe in the city by 2pm. A multi-layered security drill, including the sealing ofkey roads, has been put in place in and around the seaside resort ofMamallapuram for the summit.

India is looking to the unstructured meeting between Xi andPrime Minister Narendra Modi to clear the air and take forward bilateralrelations after a testy exchange between the two sides over the Kashmir, includingChina’s support to Pakistan on the issue.After flying into Chennai shortlyafter 2 pm on Friday, Xi will be received by Modi and the Tamil Nadu chiefminister and governor. The Chinese delegation will then head to the ITC Hotel,while Modi and his team while fly to Mamallapuram in a helicopter.

People familiar with developments said the Chinese presidentwill drive from Chennai to Mamallapuram, a distance of a little more than 50km, in a motorcade. The people said the Chinese side had opted for a hotel inChennai and to drive to Mamallapuram, instead of using a helicopter, forsecurity and other reasons.