Manmohan, Wen talk of past, point to future

Looking back with a sense of nostalgia and pride, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Premier Wen Jiabao came together today to map the future...

Looking back with a sense of nostalgia and pride, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Premier Wen Jiabao came together today to map the future course of bilateral relations, pledging cooperation and peaceful development.

At Siri Fort today, with the Great Wall of China for backdrop on the occasion of the Cultural Festival of China, ballerinas and traditional dancers charmed the audience as both leaders sealed their pact amid thunderous applause.

The Chinese Premier talked of a shared sense of history when he spoke about the struggles in the two countries and the mutual help in the course of liberation of both. ‘‘Fifty five years ago, China was faced with new difficulties and it was India that recognised the People’s Republic of China. Today, China and India are the two largest developing countries in the world, faced with similar tasks of people’s development and to promote peaceful co-existence, important for peace and stability of Asia,’’ Wen said. A view echoed by Singh, when he said the two nations were engaged in the challenging task of removing poverty and hunger and must cooperate and commit to peace and prosperity.

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Quoting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Chinese philosophers Yuan Chung and Fa Hien, Singh said the shared history between the two countries span centuries where both benefitted from the rich intellectual exchange.

Wen stressed that pending solution to the settlement of boundary problems, normal course of development should not be adversely affected. ‘‘The flower of India-China has bloomed again today,’’ Wen said, cheered on by many in the audience. While he reiterated the historic pact signed between the two countries, Singh said this was the right moment in history when an opportunity had presented itself to both for furthering ties and working towards peace and prosperity.

Agreement between India and China on the political parameters and guiding principles for the settlement of the India-China boundary question:

		Article I The differences on the boundary question should not be allowed to affect the overall development of bilateral relations. The two sides will resolve the boundary question through peaceful and friendly consultations. Neither side shall use or threaten to use force against the other by any means. The final solution of the boundary question will significantly promote good neighbourly and friendly relations between India and China Article II The two sides should, in accordance with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question through consultations on an equal footing, proceeding from the political perspective of overall bilateral relations Article III Both sides should, in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual understanding, make meaningful and mutually acceptable adjustments to their respective positions on the boundary question, so as to arrive at a package settlement to the boundary question. The boundary settlement must be final, covering all sectors of the India-China boundary Article IV The two sides will give due consideration to each other’s strategic and reasonable interests, and the principle of mutual and equal security Article V The two sides will take into account, inter alia, historical evidence, national sentiments, practical difficulties and reasonable concerns and sensitivities of both sides, and the actual state of border areas Article VI The boundary should be along well-defined and easily identifiable natural geographical features to be mutually agreed upon between the two sides Article VII In reaching a boundary settlement, the two sides shall safeguard due interests of their settled populations in the border areas Article VIII Within the agreed framework of the final boundary settlement, the delineation of the boundary will be carried out utilising means such as modern cartographic and surveying practices and joint surveys Article IX Pending an ultimate settlement of the boundary question, the two sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. The India-China Joint Working Group and the India-China Diplomatic and Military Expert Group shall continue their work under the Agreements of 7 September 1993 and 29 November 1996, including the clarification of the line of actual control and the implementation of confidence building measures Article X The Special Representatives on the boundary question shall continue their consultations in an earnest manner with the objective of arriving at an agreed framework for a boundary settlement, which will provide the basis for the delineation and demarcation of the India-China boundary to be subsequently undertaken by civil and military officials and surveyors of the two sides Article XI This agreement shall come into force as of the date of signature and is subject to amendment and addition by mutual agreement in writing between the two sides

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