India, China optimistic as border talks begin
Reuters, New Delhi
India and China began yesterday a new round of border talks aimed at resolving a long-running Himalayan frontier dispute at the centre of lingering mistrust between the two Asian giants. The Indian team for the two-day talks will be led by MK Narayanan, the country's national security adviser, while the Chinese side is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, India's foreign ministry said. Any progress in the dialogue will be announced on Thursday after talks end, a foreign ministry official said. Helped by growing trade links, ties between the Asian powers have improved in the last few years after decades of frosty relations following a brief border war in 1962, which India lost. "Our relations with our neighbours, including China ... are poised for a positive transformation," Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told foreign policy experts on Tuesday. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing China hoped progress would be made.
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Chinese Vice-Premier Dai Bingguo (L) shakes hands with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during a meeting in New Delhi yesterday. Indian and Chinese officials started a fresh round of talks aimed at working to resolve a decades-old border dispute. PHOTO: AFP |
