Dec. 15: Taking a leaf from statements by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao came close to addressing one of India’s major concerns — redressing the trade imbalance — while also saying there is “enough space” in the world for both China and India to grow and enough areas for them to cooperate, as he dismissed the notion of rivalry or “vicious competition” between the Chinese “dragon” and the Indian “elephant”.
Saying the two countries “are partners for cooperation, and not rivals in competition,” he told an industry conference soon after arriving here on Wednesday that China will be ready to give Indian IT, pharmaceuticals and agriculture companies access to Chinese markets in a bid to bridge India’s $19 billion trade deficit with China.
Music to the ears of India Inc., the Chinese Premier’s attempt to steer clear of other contentious issues came up against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who reportedly broached some of the topics when the two leaders met over a private dinner.
Trust and confidence-building issues will be raised when the two hold delegation-level talks on Thursday when New Delhi raises questions about Beijing’s stapled visas policy and its J&K stance, its infrastructure projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the lingering border dispute and the damming of the Brahmaputra river.
Government sources said any claims of a fall in cases of “stapled” Chinese visas to Indians living in Jammu and Kashmir were false, attributing the drop to the fact that China had started rejecting visa applications by J&K residents.