 "Peace on border important, agree both PMs")
The Indian and Chinese governments today promised to preserve peace and tranquility along their 4,000-km contested border, taking stock of the lessons learnt from the Depsang plateau episode in recent weeks. They have told their respective Special Representatives (SRs) to meet soon, to discuss and develop measures to prevent this from happening again.
"We want peace at the border. Premier Li (Keqiang) and I have agreed that this must continue to be preserved," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this morning after talks in Hyderabad House.
Li Keqiang said peace between India and China was a good thing for the world and would kick-start the world economy. "India and China are friends. Neither side will do anything that damages the other's interests," Li said. "Since we are friends, we can speak candidly... I won't deny that there are problems... (but) we have the wisdom to resolve these issues and overcome our differences."
The Prime Minister, who has looked politically cornered in recent weeks, told the press that his counterpart and he believed the relationship between India and China was of great significance and important to sustained economic growth, stability and prosperity.
Both leaders also discussed market access issues at length, including the possibility of Chinese investment in Indian projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. India pushed for greater transparency on China's building of dams on trans-border rivers such as the Brahmaputra.
Border issue
S Jaishankar, ambassador to China, said: "The need to build greater trust and maintain peace and tranquillity on the border is the foundation of our relationship."
Indian officials concede privately that the SRs on both sides, over 10 years and 15 rounds of talks, haven't had any substantive pacts on resolving the border issue. In 2005, both sides signed the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles; the Chinese quickly resiled in 2007-8, saying they did not agree with the Indian understanding on no exchange of settled populations (the first guiding principle), as well as the basis on which "well-defined features" such as the watershed could form the framework of a settlement.
The Indian officials also felt the Depsang incident had boosted its argument the boundary dispute needed to be settled quickly. And, that the first step would be to exchange maps in the Western, Middle and Eastern sectors.
On condition of anonymity, an Indian official said one reason why the Chinese had refused to exchange maps in any of the sectors was because that could then become the basis of each other's public claims. After talks last night and today, the official said, the PM had essentially put the border issue on the front-burner and said the quality of the rest of the relationship would depend on a peaceful resolution of the boundary "in a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable" manner.
Alluding, perhaps, to the recent happening at Depsang, Premier Li said the need to improve border-related mechanisms existed, so as to make these more efficient. Chinese sources said a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement had been proposed to India in March, to which the Indians had responded in early May. Both sides would need time to study this, Indian officials added.
Other issues
They conceded the Chinese were willing to share flood-season hydrological data with India, which Premier Li said would be stepped up.
One way to improve bilateral trade and reduce the imbalance on the Indian side was to connect India and China through regional trading mechanisms, as well as improve connectivity via Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Clearly, though, the Indian side seemed extremely hesitant to acquiesce to any form of a regional free trade agreement, keenly aware that Chinese goods would swamp the Indian landscape.
Premier Li said he had, 27 years earlier, spent a week in India and the seeds of friendship had been sown then. "Most importantly, the consensus we have reached during this trip is that the seeds we sow today will keep growing into harbouring trees, laden with rich fruit."
One favourite Chinese theme, that the tensions between India and China, two ancient civilisations, are stoked by the West, also found its way into the talks."Peace and regional stability cannot be a reality without strategic mutual trust between China and India," he said.
"We want peace at the border. Premier Li (Keqiang) and I have agreed that this must continue to be preserved," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this morning after talks in Hyderabad House.
Li Keqiang said peace between India and China was a good thing for the world and would kick-start the world economy. "India and China are friends. Neither side will do anything that damages the other's interests," Li said. "Since we are friends, we can speak candidly... I won't deny that there are problems... (but) we have the wisdom to resolve these issues and overcome our differences."
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Eight agreements on trans-border river management and trade-related issues were signed today. In the coming weeks, apart from meetings on the border issue between the two SRs (National Security Adviser Shiv Shanker Menon and State Councillor Yang Jiechi), defence minister A K Antony, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia (for the strategic economic dialogue) and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma are expected to travel to China to take forward their respective engagements.
The Prime Minister, who has looked politically cornered in recent weeks, told the press that his counterpart and he believed the relationship between India and China was of great significance and important to sustained economic growth, stability and prosperity.
Both leaders also discussed market access issues at length, including the possibility of Chinese investment in Indian projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. India pushed for greater transparency on China's building of dams on trans-border rivers such as the Brahmaputra.
Border issue
S Jaishankar, ambassador to China, said: "The need to build greater trust and maintain peace and tranquillity on the border is the foundation of our relationship."
Indian officials concede privately that the SRs on both sides, over 10 years and 15 rounds of talks, haven't had any substantive pacts on resolving the border issue. In 2005, both sides signed the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles; the Chinese quickly resiled in 2007-8, saying they did not agree with the Indian understanding on no exchange of settled populations (the first guiding principle), as well as the basis on which "well-defined features" such as the watershed could form the framework of a settlement.
The Indian officials also felt the Depsang incident had boosted its argument the boundary dispute needed to be settled quickly. And, that the first step would be to exchange maps in the Western, Middle and Eastern sectors.
On condition of anonymity, an Indian official said one reason why the Chinese had refused to exchange maps in any of the sectors was because that could then become the basis of each other's public claims. After talks last night and today, the official said, the PM had essentially put the border issue on the front-burner and said the quality of the rest of the relationship would depend on a peaceful resolution of the boundary "in a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable" manner.
Alluding, perhaps, to the recent happening at Depsang, Premier Li said the need to improve border-related mechanisms existed, so as to make these more efficient. Chinese sources said a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement had been proposed to India in March, to which the Indians had responded in early May. Both sides would need time to study this, Indian officials added.
Other issues
They conceded the Chinese were willing to share flood-season hydrological data with India, which Premier Li said would be stepped up.
One way to improve bilateral trade and reduce the imbalance on the Indian side was to connect India and China through regional trading mechanisms, as well as improve connectivity via Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Clearly, though, the Indian side seemed extremely hesitant to acquiesce to any form of a regional free trade agreement, keenly aware that Chinese goods would swamp the Indian landscape.
Premier Li said he had, 27 years earlier, spent a week in India and the seeds of friendship had been sown then. "Most importantly, the consensus we have reached during this trip is that the seeds we sow today will keep growing into harbouring trees, laden with rich fruit."
One favourite Chinese theme, that the tensions between India and China, two ancient civilisations, are stoked by the West, also found its way into the talks."Peace and regional stability cannot be a reality without strategic mutual trust between China and India," he said.