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Durban: Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh meets new Chinese President Xi Jingping on
Wednesday, with both countries waiting for a new direction to
bilateral ties that had seen some ups and downs in recent years,
particularly over unresolved border tensions.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the 5th BRICS
Summit that feature the heads of state or government of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa, the world's emerging
economies.
Keeping with the protocol, Manmohan Singh will be calling on Xi
Wednesday evening, the first since the Chinese president took over
the reins of his country earlier this month.
"I look forwards to meeting the Chinese President Xi Jinping," the
prime minister remarked, ahead of his departure for this South
African city early Monday. The two leaders have already spoken
over the phone.
"It will be an opportunity for me to not only greet the new
Chinese president personally, but also discuss how we can maintain
the positive trajectory of our relationship and further strengthen
this very important bilateral relationship."
Asked if there was any thing specific on the agenda when the
Indian and Chinese leadership meet, officials said it was not
possible to pre-judge what each of them was going to say.
"You don't expect leaders to negotiate. You expect them to show us
what to do. Then, the rest of us go we and do the hard work," a
senior Indian interlocutor said.
He, nevertheless, said ties with China had, indeed, improved in
the past few years, since both sides agreed to move forward
despite difficulties and problems which primarily pertained to
geography and history.
"There is a realisation now that we can build on our relations,"
said the official, adding, as an example, that that while maritime
rivalry between India and China was inevitable, defence exchanges
were progressing well.
Xi, in his first interview after taking over, outlined a
"five-point proposal" to improve relations with India, when he met
with a group of journalists from the BRICS countries in Beijing on
March 19.
The five proposals called for: maintaining strategic communication
and keeping ties on the right track; expanding cooperation in
infrastructure and mutual investment; strengthening cultural ties;
increasing coordination on multilateral affairs and "accommodating
each other's core concerns" to "properly handle differences."
(Arvind Padmanabhan can be contacted at arvind.p@ians.in)
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