The Hindu : China extends invitation to PM again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 08, 2003

International

International

China extends invitation to PM again

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Jan. 7. China today reaffirmed its desire to "play host" to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, at his "earliest convenience".

Mr. Vajpayee had accepted the invitation extended to him by his Chinese counterpart, Zhu Rongji, during his visit to India early last year.

The issue of Mr. Vajpayee's visit came up during the Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi's talks with top Chinese leaders in Beijing today. He called on the Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, and Mr. Zhu, besides holding discussions with Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the country's parliament.

Mr. Joshi, who is leading a 12-member delegation from both houses of Parliament, is paying a six-day visit at the invitation of Mr. Li Peng. While China has repeatedly articulated its eagerness to sustain and enhance the present momentum in bilateral ties at the highest political level, India has indicated its willingness to reciprocate suitably, diplomatic observers said.

It is in this context that Mr. Joshi is understood to have briefed Mr. Zhu about Mr. Vajpayee's plan to visit Beijing. The Chinese leaders told Mr. Joshi that such a visit could provide "an impetus to the development of bilateral relations".

Summing up the Indian delegation's talks in Beijing, the Indian Embassy there said in a press statement tonight that both sides spoke of the shared "commonalities" and "similar challenges and opportunities". The Indian delegation underlined that the two countries interact "on the basis of the principles of `Panchsheel', mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns and equality". Both sides agreed that a cooperative bilateral engagement "will be a tangible input in the creation of a new international political and economic order". The political accent on the plea for such a new global order has remained a matter of priority in China's foreign policy in recent times, according to diplomatic observers.

The other international concerns of the day, too, figured in the talks, with both sides identifying terrorism as "a major threat to peace and development". Reviewing the present state of the global fight against terrorism, the parliamentary delegation and its Chinese interlocutors called for a "greater common effort" to address this prime issue.

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