 "Salman Khurshid to visit China on May 9")
Notwithstanding the recent tension across the Line of Actual Control (LaC), minister of external affairs Salman Khurshid is geared up to visit China on May 9 to meet the new leadership there.
On the agenda will be to promote ongoing dialogue of bilateral cooperation.
“The test of being friendly is evident from the fact that there is going to be a dialogue and it is the end result which matters. People ask me what is wrong with India that all its neighbours are not its friends, what is wrong with India? And I tell them, you have an idea of friendship which is different from mine. My idea of friendship is when you are frank, free with each other, you have expectations and you deliver," Khurshid said while addressing FICCI's National Executive Committee Meeting (NECM) here today adding that "disagreement" on any issue is not "betrayal".
“Let us allow that mechanism to find its solution and repeatedly it has found. And we have good reasons to believe that it should be able to do it again … While we may agree to differ on different issues, it is important to maintain faith as India has always cherished diversity. We can't destroy years of investment in our relationship because something goes wrong. It is important to see the overall picture, at the same time any effort to resolve the issue should not be seen as surrender but a part of our process of growing up,” he highlighted.
The minister will be visiting China just weeks before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives in India for the first time after becoming the Prime Minister.
Refering to the present tension of a stand-off between Indian troops and Chinese forces which intruded deep inside Depsang Valley in Ladakh last week, Khurshid said he is confident of finding out an amicable solution to the issue.
He also clearly stated that such tensions keep arising due to the fact that there is a difference of perception between both countries on the actual demarcation of the LaC.
The minister was, however, quick to dismiss reports of an imminent war between both neighbours and called it “absurd.”
"Doomsday predictions are absolutely absurd. It's absurd not so much for China as it's absurd for us. Our duty is to serve India, not to serve China. Chinese foreign minister's duty is to serve China and I believe that we have a mutual interest but our concern is our interest and our interest is part of a mutual interest and that is what is very fortunate for us," he said.
On being asked whether the current standoff will impact trade relations between the two countries, Khurshid said, "If your relationships deteriorate then your trade will get affected, so that is why we don't want the relations to deteriorate when there are no reasons for relations to get deteriorated."
On the other hand, the minister of state for external affairs E. Ahamed told the Rajya Sabha today that any construction activity in the vicinity of the LaC requires prior approval from the Indian government. He was replying to a question on the stopping of a canal construction in Ladakh by China.
"Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it," Ahamed added.
On the agenda will be to promote ongoing dialogue of bilateral cooperation.
“The test of being friendly is evident from the fact that there is going to be a dialogue and it is the end result which matters. People ask me what is wrong with India that all its neighbours are not its friends, what is wrong with India? And I tell them, you have an idea of friendship which is different from mine. My idea of friendship is when you are frank, free with each other, you have expectations and you deliver," Khurshid said while addressing FICCI's National Executive Committee Meeting (NECM) here today adding that "disagreement" on any issue is not "betrayal".
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He also said that India has always been firm in maintaining and forging bonds with its neighbours keeping in mind its own interest.
“Let us allow that mechanism to find its solution and repeatedly it has found. And we have good reasons to believe that it should be able to do it again … While we may agree to differ on different issues, it is important to maintain faith as India has always cherished diversity. We can't destroy years of investment in our relationship because something goes wrong. It is important to see the overall picture, at the same time any effort to resolve the issue should not be seen as surrender but a part of our process of growing up,” he highlighted.
The minister will be visiting China just weeks before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives in India for the first time after becoming the Prime Minister.
Refering to the present tension of a stand-off between Indian troops and Chinese forces which intruded deep inside Depsang Valley in Ladakh last week, Khurshid said he is confident of finding out an amicable solution to the issue.
He also clearly stated that such tensions keep arising due to the fact that there is a difference of perception between both countries on the actual demarcation of the LaC.
The minister was, however, quick to dismiss reports of an imminent war between both neighbours and called it “absurd.”
"Doomsday predictions are absolutely absurd. It's absurd not so much for China as it's absurd for us. Our duty is to serve India, not to serve China. Chinese foreign minister's duty is to serve China and I believe that we have a mutual interest but our concern is our interest and our interest is part of a mutual interest and that is what is very fortunate for us," he said.
On being asked whether the current standoff will impact trade relations between the two countries, Khurshid said, "If your relationships deteriorate then your trade will get affected, so that is why we don't want the relations to deteriorate when there are no reasons for relations to get deteriorated."
On the other hand, the minister of state for external affairs E. Ahamed told the Rajya Sabha today that any construction activity in the vicinity of the LaC requires prior approval from the Indian government. He was replying to a question on the stopping of a canal construction in Ladakh by China.
"Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it," Ahamed added.