By IANS,
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to China on a four-day official visit April 5 to flag off the year-long celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Krishna will hold consultations on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest with his counterpart Yang Jiechi, the external affairs ministry said Monday.
This will be Krishna’s maiden visit to China since he became foreign minister in May last year.
Krishna will also launch the year-long “Festival of India” in Beijing with a Ratan Thiyam play staged in the Forbidden City Concert Hall.
India established diplomatic ties with China April 1, 1950, making New Delhi the first non-socialist country to forge relations with the People’s Republic of China after the Communists seized power.
Krishna will discuss with Yang bilateral relations, trade and other issues that shadowed their ties last year.
The two ministers are likely to set dates for the 14th round of talks between their special representatives to resolve the boundary dispute that sparked a war in 1962.
His visit will also set the stage for President Pratibha Patil’s trip to Beijing later this year.
Ahead of his visit to Beijing, Krishna said Friday that India had “some concerns” about the boundary issue with China but hoped that his trip will reaffirm strong bilateral ties.
“There are some concerns about the border issue with China, but these are being handled through respective representatives,” he said.
This will be Krishna’s first trip to China after relations came under strain last year over an array of issues, including reported intrusion by Chinese troops and Beijing’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
But despite differences, the bilateral trade has exceeded $40 billion.