New Delhi
14 November 2009
The visit to India by a senior Chinese official has been put off indefinitely,
dimming hopes of a resumption of cordial relations following weeks of recriminations
between Beijing and New Delhi and public spat over Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai
Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, was to visit India from 16 November.
Official sources told this newspaper earlier this week that the senior Chinese official will
not be visiting India as scheduled. There is no indication yet whether Zhou's visit here
will take place anytime soon.
For now, Zhou is headed for Africa. A Xinhua report from Beijing said he will pay a
goodwill visit to Sudan and South Africa in the second half of this month. Sudan's
National Congress Party and African National Congress of South Africa have invited him,
the report said, citing Li Jun, spokesman for the International Department of the CPC
Central Committee.
Zhou, who is among the top leaders of the CPC, was to meet a cross-section of Indian
political leaders.
Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yan had indicated to BJP President Rajnath Singh
that Zhou's visit to India from 16 and 20 November was aimed at building mutual
confidence.
This will be the most important visit of any Chinese leader to India after President Hu
Jintao's in 2006, the BJP had cited the Chinese envoy as telling Mr Singh during their
hour-long meeting here in October.
The senior Chinese official's visit to India would have taken place towards the end of the
Dalai Lama's tour of Arunachal Pradesh and coincided with United States President
Barack Obama's visit to China.
The Dalai Lama, who flew to Tawang on 8 November, reached Itanagar on Saturday after
celebrating Children's Day by blessing students and monks at the TGL Monastery in
Bomdila and holding a blessing ceremony at the general ground in Kalaktang.
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