India and China take first step towards a full reset in first high-level meeting since Modi took power




A dragging border dispute and steps to address a trade deficit through greater investments figured in extensive discussions on Friday between India and China.

The two nations also began work on a schedule for engagements between their senior leadership over the next six months.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is visiting India as a special envoy of President Xi Jinping, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks that lasted more than three hours.



(Left): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh. (Right): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed the border dispute, incursions by Chinese troops and the issuance of stapled visas to Indians.



This was the first high-level meeting between the two sides since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office last month.

Besides signalling his desire to focus on India's neighbours, Modi has said that China is a priority in India's foreign policy and his government is committed to utilising the full potential of the strategic partnership between the two sides.

Officials said Beijing's decision to send a special envoy to New Delhi just two weeks after the BJP's victory reflected China's desire to engage with the new government.



Wang and Swaraj held "cordial, useful and substantive" discussions on the "perennials of India- China engagement", External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, without giving details.



However, sources said the border dispute, incursions by Chinese troops and issuance of stapled visas to Indians had figured in the talks.



The Chinese side is believed to have raised the issue of Tibet, and India reiterated its position that Tibet was a part of China.



With India running a trade deficit of over $40 billion, Swaraj raised the issue of promoting Chinese investments, especially in industrial zones and parks.



Joint Secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale quoted Wang as saying that China supports the economic development of India and is looking at deepening economic ties. Wang was "effusive" in his praise for the new Indian government.



Akbaruddin quoted the Chinese Foreign Minister as saying that the new government had "injected new vitality into an ancient civilisation" and that the world community was closely following developments in India.

Wang also said the "Chinese and Indian dreams have a lot of commonalities".



The two foreign ministers also discussed a schedule for possible engagement between the senior leadership of India and China during the year, both in terms of bilateral visits and parleys on the margins of multilateral meetings.

"The potential exists for intensive engagements of our leaderships. By our count...I could easily say that there are likely to be at least half a dozen such meetings," Akbaruddin said.

Modi, who visited China four times before he became Prime Minister to seek investments for Gujarat, is expected to meet President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Brazil next month.

Xi is also expected visit to India later this year on Modi's invitation.

