Home: Singh meets Chinese PM Wen Jiabao in Thailand

New Delhi, October 24, 2009
NetIndian News Network

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the ASEAN and the East Asia Summits in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin this morning against the background of tensions which have cropped up in the bilateral relationship on the border question between them.

Official sources said the two leaders would discuss bilateral issues and other issues of common concern.

"We have reached important consensus on promoting bilateral ties, and I believe that our two countries could maintain a good relationship in the future, which conforms with the interests of the two countries and I have confidence about that," the Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Mr Wen as saying at the beginning of the talks between the two leaders.

Dr Singh recalled his recent meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Russia and the United States. He also conveyed his greetings to the Chinese people on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

This is the first meeting between the two leaders after irritants surfaced in the relationship in recent months.

There have been a spate of reports in the Indian media about alleged incursions from across the border into Indian territory. Both governments played down those reports.

But then China raised serious objections to Dr Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh on October 3 for campaigning in the state assembly elections. It also objected to the proposed visit to the state next month by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

India issued a statement some days ago asking China to desist from engaging in projects with Pakistan in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). Earlier, it had objected to the Chinese Embassy in Delhi issuing loose visas to Indians living in Jammu and Kashmir instead of stamping them on their passports.

Dr Singh and Mr Wen are sure to discuss these issues and smoothen out the tensions in the relationship. They are also expected to look at ways of expediting a solution to the vexed boundary question between the two countries.

Hua Hin, where the summits are taking place, is in the Gulf of Thailand and about 200 km south of Bangkok.

Apart from Mr Wen, Dr Singh is also due to have bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and the President of Indonesia on the sidelines of the two Summits before flying back home tomorrow evening.

NNN