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India, China joint group to look into border issue

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

India and China have agreed to set up a joint group, comprising eminent persons, to look into the border question in greater detail.

Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan made this declaration after they met Saturday morning at the former's office, where they discussed a range of bilateral, regional and international issues. Tang is on a day's official visit to India. He departs tonight for Pakistan.

The group will start by first seeking to resolve the question in the middle sector, which is the least contentious.

The middle sector is the border between India and China that is across Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim, where there has been little dispute. The major dispute points are in the eastern sector, covering Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, with Beijing laying claim to the latter, while the western sector comprises Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. India claims over 50,000 square miles of territory in Ladakh, which it says China seized during the 1962 war.

Regarding China's sale of missile technology to Pakistan, Tang replied that it had normal relations with Pakistan, developed over the years and its sale of arms was similar to relations that India had with some countries.

Tang insisted that the sale of arms to Pakistan was not directed against any third country, and specifically not against India.

Tang pointed out that China was a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and was therefore bound by its resolutions.

He also said that China was a member of various non-proliferation treaties, which it obeyed and it was therefore not possible for China to sell arms that these treaties prohibited.

Tang further said that Indians must not pay attention to media reports, especially in the western media, since they were prejudiced.

Jaswant Singh that the border dispute was discussed at some length. The two sides, he added, agreed on five principles that went beyond merely the question concerning the Line of Actual Control.

* Push for economic ties across the border. Though Singh did not spell it out, India and China expressed a desire to increase the number of border trading posts. There is talk of a trading post at Nathu La in Sikkim.

* Military dialogue, including more frequent exchange of visits between the countries' militaries, to help in a better understanding of each other.

* Dialogue on security, that would take into consideration the two sides' concerns.

* Increase focus on the Line of Actual Control and the border question to expedite the resolution. The joint working group will meet every year.

* A decision to set up an eminent persons' forum that will look into disputes on the LAC and the border. The starting point will be the middle sector.

When the minister was asked why it would be the middle sector and not the more contentious eastern or western sectors, he replied that the eminent persons' forum would consider all sectors, but a beginning would be made from the middle sector. Tang seconded Singh's statement.

The forum will meet more often than the joint working group, which meets annually, but details will be decided later.

The talks, said both ministers, went off very well.

Tang said that when Indian President K R Narayanan had visited China in May-June last, he and his Chinese counterpart had reached a consensus on certain issues. "It is to start implementing that consensus that I am visiting India," said Tang.

Tang also said that China supported India's position on cross-border terrorism and was studying proposals submitted by New Delhi to the UN on curbing international terrorism.

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