Ties with
China stable, says India
Tuesday April 12, 2011 10:00:23 PM,
IANS
|
Sanya (China): Despite a frosty past, India says its relations with China have
stabilised and hold a promise for the future as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets President Hu Jintao in this coastal Chinese
city Wednesday to discuss bilateral and global issues.
"Relationship with China is stable. There is an opportunity to
know how we can take it forward now," a top government source told
IANS.
Towards this, the source said, the two countries will soon resume
high-level defence exchanges that were called off last year
following a new flare-up in relations between the two Asian giants
over visas.
India suspended defence exchanges, strongly objecting to China
issuing a visa on a loose sheet to a top army commander because he
was serving in Jammu and Kashmir. This was in continuance of
China's 2008 policy to issue stapled visas to Kashmiris,
indicating that it recognizes the state as a disputed territory
and its residents as non-Indians.
"The joint military exercises will be held," the source told IANS
Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
He said despite the flare-up, some defence contacts like flag
meeting between border commanders were never stopped as the
situation on the border with China "has been calm not only because
it was winter but also because there has been less activity".
"Things are going well. We are looking to take them forward."
He said the two Asian powerhouses in recent times have been
"consulting each other on various issues like what happened in
West Asia and North Africa", referring to turmoil in Egypt, Libya
and other countries in these regions. India and China both
objected to NATO-led military strikes to oust Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi.
"It has major implications for both of us. We are both major
energy importers. It will affect both of us. Both have big
economic stakes in the stability of these regions," said the
source.
India-China ties have a past of mistrust, mainly because of their
unresolved border dispute that also triggered a short war in 1962.
The stapled visa issue added to the tension.
However, it seems that China has reversed its stapled visa policy
as four Kashmir-born journalists, including one with passport
issued in Srinagar, were given normal visas. The reporters are
members of Manmohan Singh's media delegation for the BRICS summit
here.
The source said that the two sides have been "quietly working" to
solve "many difficult issues" after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
visited India in December last year and held talks with Manmohan
Singh.
"The two leaders had at that stage tried to deal with the issues
and also tried to see how we can carry the relationship forward on
the economic front and also reduce the trade imbalance."
Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, accompanying
the prime minister, told reporters on board the special aircraft
to Sanya that trade imbalance tilted in favour of China was
another area of concern.
"The matter is likely to be raised" when Manmohan Singh and Hu
talk on the sidelines of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South
Africa (BRICS) summit, he said.
The trade imbalance in favour of China had gone up to $20 billion
in the overall bilateral trade of nearly $60 billion in 2010. In
2009, this was about $16 billion.
Sharma said: "India has sought more access in Chinese markets so
that the gap could be closed."
He said the two countries have established a strategic economic
dialogue for a larger economic relation. "We hope to have that
dialogue in the next few months."
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