By IANS,
New Delhi : On the eve of the “Special Representatives” meeting on boundary talks, China has maintained that “development and improvement” of bilateral ties were not only for the “fundamental interest” of the two countries but also for Asia and the world.
National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan is leaving for Beijing Wednesday for talks with Chinese State Counsellor Dai Bingguo — the two are designated “Special Representatives” of the Indian and Chinese governments, respectively, for the boundary talks.
The talks are scheduled for Sep 18 and 19 in the Chinese capital.
“From a global perspective, it is the common desire of the people of both nations to seek the win-win result through their friendly cooperation and common development,” an article in Chinese government’s mouthpiece, People’s Daily, said.
The commentary in the newspaper shows that Beijing has decided to brush aside criticism in sections of India about its questionable role at the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group meeting and bring the focus back to the fast growing ties between the two neighbours.
“As the two largest newly emerged countries,” the Daily said, “the improvement and development of Sino-India ties are not only favourable for the fundamental interest of both countries and the common aspiration of their people, but also favourable for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world at large.”
Reports in India, in the wake of the NSG meeting in Vienna earlier this month, had been critical of China’s alleged attempt to block a consensus in the 45-member nuclear cartel to award the waiver for New Delhi.
The article in People’s Daily comes after Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s recent visit to India and is an attempt to highlight the positive aspects in the relationship between the two countries.
The fact that the opinion piece is written by Hu Shisheng, a Hindi-speaking Chinese scholar of the leading Chinese think-tank, the Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations, shows the importance being given to the subject.
“Sino-Indian relations have grown rapidly with an increasingly frequent exchange of high-level visits since the entry of the new century,” Hu wrote in his article titled “Sino-Indian relations developing in-depth”.
Citing a number of high-level visits that have taken place between the two countries in the past years to develop and strengthen relations in different areas, Hu said 12 rounds of talks between the “Special Representatives” have been held since 2003 when the dialogue mechanism was set up.
He said there has been “peace and tranquility” at the frontiers and the two sides were working hard to resolve “the substantial issues” that exist between them.
Hu pointed out that close cooperation between India and China on key issues like climate change, global trade, labour standards and human rights had also benefited the two sides.
“Much cooperation has occurred with China and India on quite a few occasions, and helps to ease their pressure from the US and other Western developed countries,” he said.
“The two sides have been supporting each other in an endeavour to spur the international order to move towards the direction conducive to their socio-economic development,” Hu added.