New Delhi
29 May 2008
India will likely steer clear of the prickly issue of Tibet when Minister of External
Affairs Pranab Mukherjee holds talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing next week. If the
statements issued after recent diplomatic consultations is any indicator, China will be
loathe to make any commitment on the boundary question. India, on the other hand, can
be expected to reiterate her adherence to the one-China policy and opposition to Taiwan
independence.
The spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said Mr Mukherjee will
visit China from June 4 to 7. He will inaugurate the new Consulate General of India in
Guangzhou. In Beijing, he will have discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang
Jiechi and also call on Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
Dr Alka Acharya, a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and an
associate professor of Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says Mr
Mukherjee can be expected to focus on bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest.
"It is unlikely he will bring Tibet on the agenda," she told this newspaper when asked for
a comment on the agenda and likely outcome of Mr Mukherjee's visit to China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang has said Mr Mukherjee's visit would
"further promote our mutual political trust and strengthen the communication and
cooperation between the two countries and deepen our practical cooperation in a wide
range of fields so as to continue to promote our partnership of strategic cooperation."
For its part, China has not shown any inclination to consider India's request for
reopening her Consulate in Lhasa after it was shut down in the '60s. New Delhi proposed
reopening of its Consulate in Lhasa as early as 1987 but Beijing always responded by
saying it is not convenient, a source said.
In sharp contrast, the United States has stepped up pressure on China to open a
consulate in Lhasa. US Senator Judd Gregg has introduced an amendment to the 2008
and 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Bill that provides up to five million dollars for the
establishment of a US Consulate in Lhasa. The amendment, which conditions the ability
of China to open additional Chinese consulates in the US until the American mission is
established in Lhasa, was unanimously accepted.
Four other US Senators have asked US President George Bush to work urgently with
China to establish a consulate in Lhasa. In their May 9 letter, Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R Biden, Barbara Boxer and John Kerry (all
Democrats) and Olympia Snowe (Republican) said Washington should make its
establishment the top priority in negotiations to expand the US diplomatic presence in
China.
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