B.RAMAN
The PLA Daily of March 29,2013, has carried the
following report on the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the margins of the BRICS summit at Durban
on March 27.
Xi says world needs common development of China,
India
(Source: Xinhua)
2013-03-29
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Durban, South Africa, March 27, 2013. (Xinhua/Huang
Jingwen)
DURBAN, South
Africa, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Wednesday
that the world needs the common development of China and India and can provide
sufficient room for the two neighbors' development.
Xi made the
remarks during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the
sidelines of a summit of BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa -- in the South African port city of Durban.
China and
India, as the world's two largest developing nations, have a similar historic
mission to boost their social and economic development, Xi said.
Both countries
are in an important period of strategic opportunities, he said, adding that
China-India relations have broad prospects for development.
China, which
regards its ties with India as one of the most important bilateral
relationship, commits itself to pushing forward the two countries' strategic
cooperative partnership, Xi said.
He called on
the two sides to maintain high-level reciprocal visits and contacts, make full
use of political dialogues and consultations at various levels to strengthen
strategic and political communication.
China and India
should broaden exchanges and cooperation between their armed forces and deepen
mutual military and security trust, Xi said.
The Chinese
president said the two countries, with the help of such cooperative mechanisms
as strategic and economic dialogue, should also discuss their cooperation on
large-scale infrastructure projects.
Xi also called
for enhancing people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, and broadening youth
exchanges.
He said the two
sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations,
BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral groupings, support each other's
participation in regional cooperation, and promote peace, stability and
development in Asia.
On the border
issue, Xi said China and India should improve and make good use of the
mechanism of special representatives to strive for a fair, rational solution
framework acceptable to both sides as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, he
said, the two sides should continue to safeguard peace in their border areas
and prevent the issue from affecting bilateral relations.
Singh expressed
admiration for China's achievements in development, saying that developing
good-neighborly and friendly relations with China and realizing common
development along with China is a priority of the country's foreign policy.
India hopes to
continue to maintain high-level exchanges, dialogue and communication with
China, he added.
He also voiced
the hope that the two countries would respect each other's core interests and
major concerns, deepen mutual strategic trust, strengthen coordination and
cooperation on international affairs, and safeguard peace and stability in the
region and the world at large.
Singh said his
country, which adheres to an independent foreign policy, will not be used as a
tool to contain China, adding that India is willing to make concerted efforts
with China to show the world that they are cooperative partners instead of
rivals.
India will
abide by political guidelines set by both sides and seek a solution to the
bilateral border issue from a strategic height with a commitment to safeguard
peace in their border areas, he said.
The Indian
prime minister said his country recognizes the Tibet Autonomous Region is a
part of the Chinese territory and that India will not allow Tibetans to conduct
political activities against China in India.
2. As this writer has been pointing out in the
past, there are nuances in Chinese references to its territorial disputes with
India and with some ASEAN countries and Japan in the South and East China Seas.
3.While China continues to project its maritime
disputes as its “core interests” not permitting any compromise, it projects its
dispute with India as calling for a mutually acceptable solution.
4.This comes out once again in the PLA Daily’s
report on the talks between the Prime Minister and Mr.Xi. It says: “On the
border issue, Xi said China and India should improve and make good use of the
mechanism of special representatives to strive for a fair, rational solution
framework acceptable to both sides as soon as possible. Meanwhile, he said, the
two sides should continue to safeguard peace in their border areas and prevent
the issue from affecting bilateral relations”
5.The Chinese formulation is more or less the same
as in the past except significantly its reference to finding a solution “ as
soon as possible.” Past Chinese formulations used to refer to the border
dispute as a complex historical legacy which will require time to solve. The
need for a solution “as soon as possible” is stressed now. It is not yet clear
as to why this change.
6.If the PLA Daily’s references to our Prime
Minister’s assurances on Tibet are correct, one would wonder what was the need
for us to take the initiative in raising this on our own when China continues
to maintain a silence on our core concerns regarding its increasing presence in
Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltisan and in Gwadar and regarding its
continuing nuclear supply relationship with Pakistan.( 29-3-13)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd),
Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director,
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For
China Studies. Twitter @SORBONNE75 )
