By M.R. Narayan Swamy
Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 24 (IANS) Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Wen Jiabao of China agreed Saturday not to let differences derail relations between the two countries.

At a nearly hour-long meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summits, the two leaders discussed a variety of issues but did not touch upon two contentious ones: Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as its own, and the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s proposed trip to the northeastern state.

According to N. Ravi, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Manmohan Singh told Wen that there should be better understanding and trust at the political level so that a “robust and strong” relationship is built between India and China.

“Neither side should allow issues to act as impediment in the growth of our relations,” Manmohan Singh said.

In his remarks, Wen concurred with Manmohan Singh’s assessment that “our relations should be properly handled through discussions and should not become impediments in bilateral relationship”.