President Pranab Mukherjee wants India-China ties at UN to combat terror

BEIJING: China on Friday sent out signals that it might reconsider its stance on an Indian membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group after the meeting between President Pranab Mukherjee and Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing."China and India will support each other on regional and international occasions and jointly utter China's and India's voice together on the international stage," Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in reply to a question about India's desire to enter the NSG.Hua's statement shows Beijing wants to be seen on the same page as India in international affairs instead of appearing to be in conflict with it. But China is not yet ready to commit itself to a position the issue of Indian membership, which is coming up for discussion at the next meeting of NSG in June."We believe that his visit is very successful and fruitful. The two sides have agreed to carry forward our fine traditions, deepen practical cooperation and alleviate bilateral relations," Hua said about the President's four day visit to China which ended on Friday morning.She was a little more reticent about India's desire for Chinese support in the United Nations to pass a resolution censuring Pakistan based terrorist, Masood Azhar, who has been held responsible for the Pathankot attack. China has earlier blocked Indian attempt to move the resolution at the UN because it might hurt the image of its all-weather friend, Pakistan."Terrorism is our common enemy. We will continue to enhance our counter terrorism efforts under the UN, the BRICS and other frameworks to jointly maintain regional peace and stability," the foreign ministry spokesperson said. This is more or less the stand taken by China and there seems to be no change in it.She said that the two counties will "expand bilateral cooperation in counter terrorism". The two sides will properly manage and control our disputes, so that these disputes will not stand in the way of practical cooperation, she added.During his discussions with the Chinese leaders including premier Li Keqiang, Mukherjee said both India and China had the responsibility of reducing carbon footprint by moving to non-coal energy sources like nuclear energy. This is why the two countries should support each other in finding easy access to civilian nuclear technology through the NSG.China is candid about the fact that it is seeking Indian markets, and this is one of the bargaining chips at the negotiation table between the two countries."In practical cooperation we will enhance our cooperation in industrial zones, construction and build more sister cities. The two sides will also enhance cooperation in investment and tourism," Hua said.