By NNN-PTI
Beijing : Amid a flurry of high-level bilateral contacts and positive remarks, the Special Representatives of India and China Monday kicked off a crucial round of boundary negotiations here today, raising hopes for further progress in resolving the vexed issue.
National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, who is India’s Special Representative, arrived here Monday afternoon and soon after met with his Chinese counterpart, Dai Bingguo, also the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister for informal talks, sources told PTI here.
The 11th round of boundary negotiations will be held from Tuesday and will last till Wednesday. The latest round of in-camera boundary negotiations are taking place ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s planned visit to China later this year.
The last round was held in India in April.
“Undeniably there are some outstanding issues between China and India but we have established guiding political principles to seek solutions to these issues. I believe that as long as the two sides demonstrate sincerity and patience and uphold the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and mutual understanding, we are bound to find solutions to this issue. Both China and India value universal love and harmony,” Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said recently.
But Chinese experts are not very optimistic that an early solution could be found to the protracted boundary issue that has marred the normal development of Sino-Indian relations.
Meanwhile in NEW YORK, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that there is enough room for both India and China to develop.
He said New Delhi was ready to work with Beijing to facilitate the development of their “strategic partnership of cooperation”.
India-China ties have developed rapidly and the exchanges of high-level visits have forcefully promoted bilateral ties and cooperation of mutual benefit, Mukherjee, who met his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi over the weekend here, said.
The Indian Minister said there is enough room for the two countries to develop and cooperate and that the development of India and China will have a lasting influence on world peace and development.
Mukherjee, who is here to attend the annual UN General Assembly session, said New Delhi “stands ready to work with Beijing to strengthen cooperation in bilateral matters and major international and regional affairs to facilitate the development of their strategic partnership of cooperation”.
Yang said developing a strategic partnership of cooperation with India is an established long-term goal of the Chinese government. He added the two sides should view and handle bilateral ties from a “strategic height” and a long-term perspective so as to contribute to world peace.
The Chinese Minister hoped that both sides will properly handle border and other issues, strengthen coordination in United Nations and other major international matters, noting that the development of the two countries has had a “positive impact” on peace and development in the region and the world.
Yang expressed the hope that the two countries would maintain high-level exchanges and conduct strategic, defence and security dialogues.