Wen forges new links with India
12/4/2005 8:10
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh
agreed yesterday to create a "strategic partnership for peace and prosperity"
between the two Asian countries, sealing their agreement with a set of accords
aimed at boosting bilateral relations. The two leaders reached common views
on expanding friendly and mutually-beneficial cooperation in a wide-range of
fields between the two countries. The two governments also signed an
agreement on political guiding principles for solving the border issue between
China and India. During the three-hour talks, Singh said Wen's visit is a
milestone in the bilateral relationship. Developing relations with China is a
most important part of India's diplomacy as India deals with India-China
relationship not only from the perspective of bilateral relations, but also from
the regional and world perspective, the Indian prime minister said. He said
promotion of exchanges and cooperation between India and China is not only the
common view of people from all walks of life in India, but also the practical
requirement for ensuring national development and people's welfare of
India. Wen put forward a six-point proposal: Political clarification of
the status of relations to push the relations to a new high; Widening
exchanges and coordinating and cooperating closely; Deepening economic and
trade cooperation to seek mutual benefits; Expanding cultural and
people-to-people exchanges; Establishing mutual trust in security to promote
regional cooperation; and Speeding up the negotiations on border demarcation
to ensure the safety of border areas. Singh said India is willing to work
together with China to make the India-China border as a link of peace and
friendship. The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation in South
Asia, with the Chinese premier welcoming the efforts by India and Pakistan to
improve their relations. Wen said that China is not seeking any interests
for its own in South Asia and that China's promotion of relations with South
Asian nations is not against any third party. He added that China will play a
constructive role in promoting peace and development in South Asia. The two
leaders also attended the signing ceremony of a number of agreements on
cooperation in the fields including finance and civil aviation. India is the
final leg of Wen's four-nation South Asia tour which has taken him to Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Xinhua
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