- News>
- India
Vajpayee in China with mantra for peace, trust
Beijing, June 22: With a message of `peace, amity and trust`, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived here this evening on a six-day official visit which the Indian side expects to be `extremely successful` although no breakthrough on the vexed border dispute is anticipated.
Beijing, June 22: With a message of "peace, amity and trust", Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived here this evening on a six-day official visit which the Indian side expects to be "extremely successful" although no breakthrough on the vexed border dispute is anticipated.
The 78-year-old leader, the first Indian prime minister to visit China in a decade, was greeted at Beijing's international airport by Chinese officials led by vice-foreign minister Wang Yi, Indian Ambassador to China Shivshankar Menon and members of the Indian community.
The ceremonial welcome at the historic Great Hall of People is slated for tomorrow morning prior to talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabo.
Before boarding the special Air India jumbo in Delhi for the six-hour flight to the Chinese capital, Vajpayee said in a written statement that he believed his discussions with the new Chinese leadership would help in building new understanding and trust between the two Asian giants.
He had already told the people of China through media interviews that he was coming with a message of peace, amity, trust, understanding and cooperation and that he saw no objective reason for discord between the two neighbours.
Seeking to dampen any expectations of settlement to the border issue, top Indian officials told journalists on board the special flight that in a comprehensive relationship one issue cannot be all defining. A framework to resolve the issue existed and "we are moving at a speed comfortable to both the sides".
Nonetheless, the Indian side expects the prime ministerial visit to be "extremely successful" with a number of agreements, including one on easing visa restrictions, scheduled to be signed before Vajpayee leaves for home.
Vajpayee himself has said in interviews carried in the Chinese media ahead of his visit that the resolution of the border dispute should be fair to both sides and has to be mutually acceptable.
His Chinese counterpart Jiabao had said yesterday that Beijing wanted a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" of the issue, adding a new formulation that China favoured "solutions on equal footing for this purpose".
Indian officials emphasised that the process of finding a settlement of the border issue was continuing through the mechanism of the joint working group and that the visit went far beyond the boundary issue. The JWG is expected to meet here later this year to continue discussions.
For instance there is a strong economic content to the visit with about 70 top representatives of the Indian industry being present in Beijing and in Shanghai during the visit.
Two senior ministers--Commerce Minister Arun Jaitely and Information Technology Minister Arun Shourie-- are expected to reach China separately to join the Prime Minister's delegation that already includes External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and other senior officials.
Bureau Report
The ceremonial welcome at the historic Great Hall of People is slated for tomorrow morning prior to talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabo.
Before boarding the special Air India jumbo in Delhi for the six-hour flight to the Chinese capital, Vajpayee said in a written statement that he believed his discussions with the new Chinese leadership would help in building new understanding and trust between the two Asian giants.
He had already told the people of China through media interviews that he was coming with a message of peace, amity, trust, understanding and cooperation and that he saw no objective reason for discord between the two neighbours.
Seeking to dampen any expectations of settlement to the border issue, top Indian officials told journalists on board the special flight that in a comprehensive relationship one issue cannot be all defining. A framework to resolve the issue existed and "we are moving at a speed comfortable to both the sides".
Nonetheless, the Indian side expects the prime ministerial visit to be "extremely successful" with a number of agreements, including one on easing visa restrictions, scheduled to be signed before Vajpayee leaves for home.
Vajpayee himself has said in interviews carried in the Chinese media ahead of his visit that the resolution of the border dispute should be fair to both sides and has to be mutually acceptable.
His Chinese counterpart Jiabao had said yesterday that Beijing wanted a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" of the issue, adding a new formulation that China favoured "solutions on equal footing for this purpose".
Indian officials emphasised that the process of finding a settlement of the border issue was continuing through the mechanism of the joint working group and that the visit went far beyond the boundary issue. The JWG is expected to meet here later this year to continue discussions.
For instance there is a strong economic content to the visit with about 70 top representatives of the Indian industry being present in Beijing and in Shanghai during the visit.
Two senior ministers--Commerce Minister Arun Jaitely and Information Technology Minister Arun Shourie-- are expected to reach China separately to join the Prime Minister's delegation that already includes External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and other senior officials.
Bureau Report