India and China are to hold in-depth exchange of views on regional and international security situations, including the issue of cross-border terrorism, during the first counter-terrorism dialogue on Tuesday in New Delhi. The fact that China and India are now sitting together to talk about counter-terrorism and other related security issues is a significant development in our bilateral relations, an official source said. Commenting on the scheduled first bilateral counter-terrorism dialogue, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, said that officials from the two sides will exchange views on international and regional anti-terrorism issues. She noted that the dialogue is the outcome of a common understanding reached by Chinese premier Zhu Rongji and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during their first meeting in New Delhi in January this year.
In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorists strikes, New Delhi and Beijing have had official-level contacts on counter terrorism. “Finally, we are going above board,” a senior official said, adding that both sides are expected to have an in-depth exchange of views on the entire gamut of counter-terrorism and related issues.
The Chinese side to the counter-terrorism dialogue would be led by the director-general of the department of international organisations and conferences, Li Baodong, while the Indian side would be headed by joint secretary (East Asia) Nalin Surie.
Bureau Report