Thaindian News

Washington, April 14 (IANS) Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Brazil, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India and China were working hard to find “pragmatic solution” to the border problem and were working closely on an array of global issues, including climate change.
“We have the border problem and that problem is to be resolved. We are working very hard to find practical, pragmatic solution to that problem,” Manmohan Singh told journalists at the end of his four-day trip to the US.

“But we both recognize that it will take time,” he added.

The prime minister stressed that both sides have decided to maintain peace and tranquility along the Line of Control pending the resolution of the border dispute.

Manmohan Singh and Hu met at the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, but have decided to hold their bilateral talks on the sidelines of BRIC summit of Brazil, India, Russia and China.

Manmohan Singh will head to Brasilia Wednesday to attend BRIC summit and the IBSA summit of the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa.

Striking an upbeat note on the economic swing in bilateral ties, Manmohan Singh said “the economic content of the relationship has increased very significantly.”

“On the economic front the relationships is moving in the right direction,” he said.

He also stressed that the two countries have a similar approach on a slew of global issues, including climate change.

“At the Copenhagen conference India and China worked very closely to organize their position,” he said.

“There is now recognition in China that in multilateral issues there is a similarity of approach between India ad China and that both countries can gain by working together,” he said when asked whether he thought China was behaving in an assertive way on issues relating to India.

India’s bilateral trade with China has already exceeded $40 billion, making Beijing New Delhi’s largest trading partner.

During his visit to the US in November last year, the mild-mannered Manmohan Singh surprised many when told a US think tank that he had seen an assertive China lately and it was a cause of concern for India.

“There is but a certain amount of assertiveness on the Chinese part. I don’t fully understand the reasons for it,” he had said.

The relations between India and China had come under strain last year over a host of issues, including a reported spike in Chinese incursions into Indian territory, increased Chinese assertion over its claims to Arunachal Pradesh and Beijing’s opposition to a development loan from the Asian Development Bank on grounds that a part of it was meant for Arunachal Pradesh.

Since then, both sides have been strenuously trying to repair and strengthen their ties. This year, the two Asian giants are

observing the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visited Beijing early this month just before Manmohan Singh came to the US to attend the Nuclear Security Summit.

During his trip, the two countries sealed an agreement on setting a hotline between their prime ministers to avoid complications and misunderstandings that may arise due to negative media reports.