Border issue 'headache and trouble' for bilateral ties: China

NEW DELHI: Amid row over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin being depicted as its territory on Chinese maps, China today called the border issue a "headache and trouble" for bilateral ties and said both the countries should be ready to make "compromises and meet each other halfway".

Acknowledging that the border issue has "hindered development" of ties, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China said both countries "should try to turn over to a new page as soon as possible" so that the matter is resolved forever.

"Border issue is a headache and trouble left over to us by the British colonists. It happens because of historical reasons and we did have some unhappy and unfortunate incidents in this regard in the past.

"They have hindered our development but I think we should try to turn over to a new page as soon as possible. People will happy and two governments have engaged in dozen rounds of negotiations," Li Junru, member of Standing Committee of National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told a press conference here.

Li, a former Vice President of Central Party School of the CPC, also called for "early settlement" of border disputes and said once it is solved there will be nothing that will hinder the development between the two countries.

His comments come a week after Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin were shown as part of China's territories in the maps on their new e-passports.