Hua Hin: The serene Thai beach
resort here is expected to provide an ideal setting for
Saturday’s meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao to lower temperatures built
over recent weeks on border and other issues.
The Singh-Wen meeting on the margins of the ASEAN and
East Asia Summits takes place against the backdrop of the war
of words between the two neighbours over Arunachal Pradesh.
China regards Arunachal as a disputed territory and
objected to Prime Minister`s visit to the northeastern state
for assembly polls, triggering sharp reaction from India which
asserted that the state is an integral part of the country.
"All issues of mutual interest" will figure in the
meeting, a senior Indian External Affairs ministry official
said.
New Delhi has taken exception to China giving visas to
the residents of Jammu and Kashmir on loose sheets, raising
suspicion that Beijing does not treat the state as a part of
India.
Beijing, on the other hand, is unhappy over India
making its visa regime stringent for the expatriates,
affecting Chinese workers on business visas the most.
India has given a deadline of October 31 for shifting
the business visas to employment visas failing which the
expatriates will have to leave the country.
Setting a positive tone for the talks, senior
functionaries from both countries have said the border problem
can be amicably resolved through bilateral negotiations.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue said in
Beijing on Wednesday, "there has been good progress in our
bilateral relationship and we hope this momentum can be
sustained".
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also said in New
Delhi "I am quite confident that all border disputes will be
resolved through discussions, amicably".
The Thai beach resort of Hua Hin, known for its quiet
coastal villages, will host 16 Asia Pacific leaders to discuss
ways for increased economic and strategic engagement among
themselves.
Leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), India, China, Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand and Australia would be attending the twin meets which
were twice postponed since December 2008 in the wake of
anti-government protests in Thailand.
Several economies in Asia, including China, India and
ASEAN have managed to keep growing even when rich nations last
year slipped into the worst ever recession since the second
World War.
For India, the 600-million people market in 10
southeast Asian nations offers a perfect fit for enhancing the
India-ASEAN trade, which at present is estimated at about USD
45 billion, less than 10 percent of its global merchandise
engagement.
The signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in
August between India and the southeast Asian nations was a
testimony to India`s growing engagement in the region.
Singh is also expected to meet Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd. Over and above the ways to enhance their
economic ties, Singh is likely to impress upon Rudd to ensure
that the racial attacks against Indian students in Australia
are stopped.
Bureau Report
