New chapter for Sino-Indian relations as Singh ends China tour

Source: Xinhua | 01-16-2008 11:30

BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wound up his three-day China visit on Tuesday after consensus-forging talks that analysts say opened a new chapter in Sino-Indian relations.

The encouraging extent of the consensus, ranging from the signing of a strategic joint statement, "A Shared Vision for the 21st Century", to substantive deals such as new trade targets and planned military exchanges, will lead to stronger ties between the two big Asian nations, experts said.

Wang Dehua, a Shanghai-based researcher on south and mid Asian affairs, said Singh's visit was a demonstration of the harmony between China and India. "It is developing increasingly converging interests and carrying on links that date back centuries ago."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the talks between Singh and Premier Wen Jiabao were "candid, friendly and pragmatic". Both reached an apparent rapport. Singh said "there is room for both countries to develop", and Wen took it further in adding "the mutual development between China and India can change the outlook of Asia and even the world."

Among a wide range of deals, the two nations set an ambitious trade target of 60 billion U.S. dollars by 2010, as bilateral trade had soared by 34 percent annually since the 1990s and reached 38.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2007.

While speaking to more than 600 Chinese and Indian businessmen on Monday, Singh highlighted the economic cooperation between two of the world's fastest-growing economies. "Both sides need to work together to ... the economic resurgence and integration of Asia," he said.

In Singh's speech at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), which included reference to Wen's Singapore speech last year on the importance of openness and inclusiveness in the growth of a nation, it resonated with the India-savvy Chinese scholars.

"Some of his remarks, which were delivered with Oriental modesty, sounded fresh and very positive," said Zhang Yuyan, director of the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies of the CASS, a government think tank.

He said the prime minister sent out a clear and strong message advocating cooperation and not contention between the world's largest developing countries.

On lingering issues such as the border dispute, the two leaders were aware not to let them over-entangle bilateral relations, said Ma Jiali, a researcher with China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

"Although a long-standing border issue can not be solved by a single visit, both leaders have set political parameters. They have again demonstrated political will for the matters to be solved in a mutually satisfactory method in due time," he said.

Editor:Zhang Ning