By NNN-Bernama,
Beijing : Ahead of the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in Hanoi, state-run Peoples Daily on Thursday suggested that India was trying to “encircle China” with its “Look East” policy of befriending Japan and Asean countries, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
India’s “Look East policy” should not mean a policy to “encircle China” and India should “listen” to Beijing’s “expression” before joining any anti-China alliance with Japan, said a write-up in the newspaper.
“Singh’s visit to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam has been a media hype at home, being even described as a missionary trip to seek new strategic allies to deal with China,” it said asking whether India’s “Look East Policy” means “Look to encircle China”.
India, however, dismissed any apprehensions in Beijing about it forging closer ties with Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam to encircle China, saying these were stand-alone bilateral relations not predicated on any other country.
“Our relations exist in their own right. These are not predicated on any third country,” Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry Latha Reddy, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his visit to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam, told reporters.
“We have valid bilateral relations with each of these countries and these are not predicated by ties with any other country,” Reddy said.
She underlined that India’s ‘Look East Policy’ was not new but as old as 1950s.