China seeks package solution for Sino-India boundary issue

BEIJING: Seeking a package solution for the boundary issue through a negotiation process, China today said it would like to work with India to build up consensus in order to settle the problem at an early date.

"China always holds that the two countries should seek a package solution of the boundary issue through negotiation based on the spirit of peace, friendship, equality-based consultation, mutual respect and mutual understanding," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

"It serves the fundamental interests....," Liu told PTI in response to questions on Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen (retd) J J Singh's reported comments that India should "move away from its non-negotiable stand on the border dispute with China."

However, the Arunachal Pradesh Raj Bhawan said that media reports about Gen Singh's statement on border dispute with China "have been purportedly taken from a speech and the comments have been quoted out of context."

Liu, on his part, said that "China would like to work with India to build up consensus and speed up the framework negotiation process in order to settle the boundary issue at an early date."

Surprisingly Gen Singh's reported remarks were not carried by the Chinese official media which in the past few days was more focused on the successful launch of Agni V and its implications for China.