Foreign minister meets Chinese leaders amid concerns over Beijing's growing clout
India's foreign minister met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Thursday amid concerns at home over China's growing clout and alleged incursions along their disputed border.
By PTI |
BEIJING: India's foreign minister met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Thursday amid concerns at home over China's growing clout and alleged incursions along their disputed border. Details of the talks between Pranab Mukherjee and China's Yang Jiechi were not immediately available, although China's Foreign Ministry said earlier they would touch on border issues.
Mukherjee was also due to meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and give a speech Friday at the elite Peking University, before presiding over the opening of a new Indian consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou. ``During this visit, we hope the two foreign ministries can exchange views on bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest to promote the development of the China-India relationship,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Despite warming trade and diplomatic ties, the Asian giants remain sharply divided over rival territorial claims dating from a brief but bloody border war in 1962. Beijing claims India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, while China occupies a large chunk of territory regarded by India as part of its region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Eleven rounds of talks on settling the dispute have made scant progress and Indian officials say Mukherjee is expected to raise in particular Beijing's claim over a small part of India's northeastern state of Sikkim.
India has repeatedly expressed concerns that Chinese troops have been making incursions over the de facto border, an issue that was discussed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing in January, with no apparent result. China, meanwhile, has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with India's decision to reopen an air base near the border in the Ladakh region.
Along with the border dispute, some in India have also expressed concerns about China's warming ties with neighboring countries on the Indian Ocean, especially Pakistan, India's traditional rival. ``China has emerged as India's greatest strategic concern,'' the Times of India newspaper said in an editorial Wednesday.
Beijing has sought to soothe the Indian concerns, saying rising trade and exchanges point to an overall improvement in relations. Two-way trade grew to US$37 billion last year, with the balance heavily in China's favor, and is targeted to rise to US$60 billion by 2010.
Mukherjee was also due to meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and give a speech Friday at the elite Peking University, before presiding over the opening of a new Indian consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou. ``During this visit, we hope the two foreign ministries can exchange views on bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest to promote the development of the China-India relationship,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Despite warming trade and diplomatic ties, the Asian giants remain sharply divided over rival territorial claims dating from a brief but bloody border war in 1962. Beijing claims India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, while China occupies a large chunk of territory regarded by India as part of its region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Eleven rounds of talks on settling the dispute have made scant progress and Indian officials say Mukherjee is expected to raise in particular Beijing's claim over a small part of India's northeastern state of Sikkim.
India has repeatedly expressed concerns that Chinese troops have been making incursions over the de facto border, an issue that was discussed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing in January, with no apparent result. China, meanwhile, has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with India's decision to reopen an air base near the border in the Ladakh region.
Along with the border dispute, some in India have also expressed concerns about China's warming ties with neighboring countries on the Indian Ocean, especially Pakistan, India's traditional rival. ``China has emerged as India's greatest strategic concern,'' the Times of India newspaper said in an editorial Wednesday.
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Beijing has sought to soothe the Indian concerns, saying rising trade and exchanges point to an overall improvement in relations. Two-way trade grew to US$37 billion last year, with the balance heavily in China's favor, and is targeted to rise to US$60 billion by 2010.
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