Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Durban, South Africa, March 27, 2013. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
Xi Jinping has asked for India and
China to boost military contact and deepen trust.
Mr. Xi,said that both countries
needed to broaden exchanges between their armed forces.
He also called for both countries
to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to the border dispute “as soon as
possible”
Mr. Xi’s particular emphasis on
expanding mutual “military and security trust” underscore concerns in both
countries on recently strained defence ties, which were suspended for a year in
2010, after China refused to host the then head of the Army’s Northern Command
citing its sensitivities in Kashmir.
More recently, the Chinese side
has appeared more eager to boost ties, Indian officials say, indicating its
willingness by hosting Indian Army officers from Jammu and Kashmir in recent
delegations and also taking a delegation to facilities in Tibet for the first
time in many years.
China’s change in posture,
analysts note, has coincided with increasing tensions faced by Beijing in the
South China Sea and with Japan over East China Sea islands.
On the border issue, he 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”
He also called on both sides to
“continue to safeguard peace in their border areas and prevent the issue from
affecting bilateral relations.”
Mr. Xi described both countries as
having “a similar historic mission to boost their social and economic
development,” and said they were in “an important period of strategic
opportunities.”
“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,” he
said, adding that both sides needed “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.”
Mr. Singh as saying
he hoped India and China “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.”
He also appeared to reassure China
about its recent concerns over India’s possible role in the United States’
“pivot” or rebalancing to Asia and strengthening of military alliances in the
region, seen by many in China as a move to contain its rise.
Mr. Singh said India “adheres to
an independent foreign policy” and “will not be used as a tool to contain
China.”
He also sought to assuage
Chinese concerns on Tibet. He said India “recognises 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”
Source -news.Xinhuanet.com
