Incursion issue, dam on talks list
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh headed for Beijing just two months from now, the India-China strategic dialogue is all set to be revived after a gap of nearly three years.
The dialogue, slated for next week in New Delhi, is expected to see the two neighbours discuss contentious issues as the incursions by the Chinese troops as well as the building of dams on the Brahmaputra by the Chinese on their side.
The last such dialogue was held in 2010 during the tenure of Nirupama Rao as the foreign secretary. None was held in the following two years as the Chinese vice-foreign minister, who was to have headed the Chinese side, was unable to visit India to participate in it.
The resumed dialogue which will be held on August 20 will be led by new foreign secretary Sujathan Singh while the Chinese side will be led by vice-foreign minister Liu Zhen Min.
Having become the foreign secretary just a fortnight ago, the dialogue will mark Ms Singh’s first high-level interaction with the Chinese since taking over as the country’s top diplomat.
During the dialogue, India is also expected to convey its concerns over market access in sectors like IT and pharma and huge trade deficit in favour of China. Security issues as well as the proposed Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) are also expected to figure in the discussions.
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