New Delhi
4 August 2009
China and India can contribute to Asia's and the world's peace and development
by approaching the border dispute with "the utmost political wisdom," Chinese
Ambassador to India Zhang Yan said.
Otherwise China and India, which shared the same historical responsibilities of
developing economies, could lose out on valuable development opportunities, he told
Chinese State-run news agency Xinhua in Beijing.
The envoy's remarks came ahead of the 13th round of talks between Chinese State
Councillor Dai Bingguo and National Security Adviser MK Narayanan, which will be held
here on August 7 and 8.
"Despite the twists and turns in China-India ties and border disputes, the two countries
share the same historical responsibilities of developing economies, improving people's
lives and safeguarding world peace and development, which requires them to properly
handle existing problems with the utmost political wisdom," a Xinhua report said quoting
the envoy.
The remarks seemed to reinforced the anticipation in official circles here that the
Chinese would probe the Indian mind to understand to what extent New Delhi would be
willing to compromise on the border issue.
The Chinese position is that at least Tawang, if not the whole of Arunachal Pradesh,
should be handed over to them. The Indian side insists there can be compromise on
Tawang, which is an area with a settled population.
In the interview, Ambassador Zhang Yan also called on both sides to use the 60th
anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2010 to cement bilateral links
and contribute to peace and development.
He recalled that China was now India's largest trading partner, while India had become
China's largest overseas project contracting market and an important investment
destination.
The envoy went on to add that China and India shared the same stance on major
international and regional issues, and they had maintained close cooperation on issues
such as climate change, food security, and the global economic downturn.
The last round of boundary talks was held in Beijing in September 2008. The special
representatives were mandated in 2003 to resolve the boundary issue from a political
perspective.
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