The Hindu : China ready to foster ties with India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 09, 2003

International

International

China ready to foster ties with India

By P.S. Suryanarayana

The Lok Sabha Speaker and leader of the Parliamentary delegation, Manohar Joshi, with Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress in Beijing on Wednesday. — PTI

SINGAPORE Jan. 8. Suggesting that China and India ``could develop'' a ``constructive partnership of cooperation'', the Chinese Prime Minister, Zhu Rongji, has proposed that ``historical problems should never hamper (such) cooperation''. Mr. Zhu made this observation when the visiting Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Manohar Joshi, called on him in Beijing on Tuesday.

According to an official Chinese version, Mr. Zhu underlined this imperative in bilateral diplomacy while drawing attention to the common characteristics of China and India as ancient civilisations and two developing countries that faced the challenges of raising the living standards of their people.

Expressing China's readiness to work with India to foster ``friendly cooperation'', he made a reference to ``the five principles of peaceful co-existence'' as the ideological ``basis'' for such cooperative endeavours.

Mr. Zhu noted that the two countries possessed ``complementary'' economies. The bilateral trade volume surged by 30 per cent last year, he pointed out, to emphasise the existence of ``bright prospects'' in this domain.

Mr. Zhu's overall presentation, especially his suggestion that ``historical problems'' should never be allowed to impede any cooperative bilateral engagement, fully reflects the dynamics of China's foreign policy, according to diplomatic observers.

Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), told Mr. Joshi that Beijing and New Delhi ``should play a constructive role in the process of (ensuring) multi-polarisation (in world politics) and (also) economic globalisation''.

Such a task was within the grasp of ``the world's two largest developing countries'', Mr. Li indicated, even as Mr. Joshi echoed similar sentiments in a very broad perspective.

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