INDIA, CHINA TO TRY AND RESOLVE BORDER ISSUES

BEIJING: India and China will continue to try and resolve nagging differences including a festering border issue that led to a war in 1962 but New Delhi and Beijing will not let outstanding bilateral issues hamper increasing cooperation in other issues.

“It is inevitable that our two countries will not always be able to agree on all issues. There are differences inherited from history that still remain be resolved. But if we are serious about creating a better future, our thinking cannot remain trapped in the past,” Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna said here on Wednesday.

Krishna was speaking at the inauguration of the new 10 million Usd-indian embassy building in Beijing.

Earlier in the day, Krishna met four important Chinese leaders including the powerful member of the standing committee of the politburo of the Communist Party of China, Zhou Yongang, and foreign minister, Yang Jiechi. He also met the Chinese special representative on Indo-china border talks, Dai Bingguo.

They discussed several bilateral and multilateral issues including Beijing’s growing concern about unrest in and around the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). On Tuesday, a foreign ministry spokesperson had blamed the Dharamshala-based Tibetan Youth Congress for fomenting trouble in the region.

“We did discuss Tibetan issue also. It is government of India’s position that the Tibetan Autonomous Region is part of the Peoples Republic China, (PRC) as a result of that we are dealing with internal affairs of China”, he said.

“Hence we have to be very cautious and any help that we can render to ease the tensions, we are too willing to do it. But I do not think that situation will ever arise,” he said.

In a late night statement, politburo member Zhou said the Tibetan issue concerned the core interest of China.

“The Chinese Government firmly penalizes according to law the separatist activities of the so-called “pro-tibet Independence”, and safeguards the territorial integrity. China appreciates the firm support of the Indian government over this issue," he said in the statement.

The Indian foreign minister said he made detailed presentation to his counterpart, Yang Jiechi on India’s involvement in war-torn Afghanistan.