By IANS,
Beijing : India Friday sought China’s support for its UN Security Council aspirations and underlined the need for both countries to be “patient and realistic” in resolving “difficult issues” like their boundary dispute.
Observing that global institutions like the UN, IMF and World Bank are “sixty year old relics”, Indian Foreign Minister Mukherjee told top Chinese scholars and strategic experts at Peking University in Beijing that there was “an urgent need to restructure and democratize these global institutions, so that they are more attuned to the realities of the day”.
“It is important for India and China to work together to achieve this objective and give substance to the idea that both of us have a common responsibility and a common interest in shaping our world in the future,” Mukherjee stressed while explaining the contours of India’s foreign policy.
Mukherjee stressed the need for India and China to intensify cooperation in changing a world order that is largely controlled by western nations at a time when the centre of gravity of global economic order was shifting towards Asia.
Underlining the need for evolving a security architecture that is “flexible enough to accommodate the great diversity which exists in Asia,” Mukherjee spoke about creating “an Asian Economic Community that is open, transparent and inclusive, and that provides a platform to create ever widening economic opportunity.”
Alluding to a rapid expansion of economic ties between the two countries, Mukherjee, who began his four-day visit to China Wednesday, said the two countries are now confident of surpassing a $60 billion trade target much before 2010.
Hailing “these positive signs of change,” he, however, added that both the countries are “mature enough to realize and address the difficult issues in our relationship” and expressed hope that the boundary dispute could be resolved in a “mutually satisfactory” manner according to political parameters and guiding principles finalized three years ago.
These difficult issues, he emphasized, should not be allowed to “become obstacles to the broadening and deepening of our relationship” and be resolved through negotiations in “a constructive and forward looking manner.”
“We will have to be patient and realistic,” he said.
“Our boundary is peaceful and we are determined to keep it so. We have evolved mechanisms and have gained experience to maintain peace and tranquility in our border areas,” he said.
Mukherjee also held talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and discussed with him a host of bilateral and global issues like food security, energy security and climate change in which the two countries can cooperate to create a world which is more conducive to their development.
The strengthening of China-India friendship and cooperation would benefit the two peoples, and peace and development in Asia and the world, Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
During his talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi Thursday, Mukherjee raised the issue of Beijing’s recent claim over the ‘finger area’ in Sikkim border.
After the talks, both sides “emphasised their determination to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border and not to disturb the status quo”.