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| SM Krishna woos Beijing to create an Asian dream | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, Apr 6: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has begun his much awaited visit to China by striking a note of optimism vis-à-vis improving relations between the two Asian giants. In a talk delivered in Beijing today Krishna made a cautious mention of the boundary dispute between the two neighbouring countries.
The text of his speech made in Beijing at the Chinese Institute of International Studies (CIIS) has been released here today by the Ministry of External Affairs as a Ministry spokesman said here today that Krishna would meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi tomorrow to discuss matters of bilateral as well as mutual global interests.
The External Affairs Minister turned out to be too polite on the question of recent incursions by China in border areas like Ladakh in the Northern State of Jammu and Kashmir. He noted them as "unresolved boundary question" on which some progress has been made.
And, thus, today Krishna has been quoted as saying in his Beijing talk that "we have to accept that there will be outstanding issues between the two countries even as our relationship forges ahead. This is in the very nature of global politics and we should not get discouraged as a result. The true test of our maturity is how well we handle our problems. Even on an issue like the unresolved boundary question that is often the subject of media speculation, it is not always appreciated that considerable progress has actually been made.
"The Peace and Tranquillity Agreement of 1993, the Confidence Building Measures of 1996 and the Guiding Principles and Political Parameters of 2005 have all demonstrated that we have the ability to increase convergence and deepen mutual understanding on this complex issue through patient negotiation.
"As rising powers, India and China are often projected to have a competitive relationship. In the final analysis, we all are what we want to be. It is upto us to disprove such scenarios, not through platitudes and wishful thinking, but by concrete examples of cooperation.
"Certainly, there is a strong case for a global issues partnership between India and China as two large developing Asian economies. We can work together on key challenges that will define the 21st century. These include sustainable development, technology exploitation, water usage, climate change, rapid urbanisation, migration, human development and building a pluralistic society. The 21st century will be increasingly driven by the quality of human resources. As the two largest human resource powers, our cooperation can accelerate that trend.
"… Our rise promises to alter the configurations of the global order as we have known it in a fundamental manner. We cannot accept incremental change in the way the world is currently run. The G-20 represents the first step in a new direction. Our combined efforts can help reform the systems of international financial governance much more effectively than we could by working alone. As Asian states, we must recognise that our continent lags behind Europe and the Americas in terms of economic and infrastructural integration and security cooperation. We have yet to find the right common denominators in many areas. If India and China work purposefully in this direction, the whole world stands to benefit."
Krishna also traced historic civilisation's links between India and China. His efforts to downplay contentious issues and focus on cooperation set the tone of his Beijing visit. He also attended a function organised by the India's Ambassador in Chinese Capital where the External Affairs Minister spoke of 60 years of Indo-Chinese diplomatic ties. India has been among the first few countries that recognised China way back in 1950 and just four years after that the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a visit to China.
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