PM draws the China boundary line: no uprooting settled people

The situation was complicated by Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi8217;s reiteration of Chinese claim for Arunachal Pradesh ahead of the Hu visit. Then, there was no response to India8217;s proposal for holding SR-level talks before Hu arrives although China was willing to look at dates after this visit.

In this context, the PM8217;s message to Hu not only puts all doubts to rest but also underlines the outer limit for India in these crucial negotiations. It also sets the stage for the next round of talks.

While China avoided any specific response to this, India felt encouraged by the fact that Hu still favoured an early settlement. This was further emphasised in the joint declaration with both sides agreeing to pursue the settlement of the boundary dispute as a 8220;strategic objective8221;.

After the talks, the PM said both leaders had agreed to ask the SRs on the boundary negotiations 8212; M K Narayanan and Dai Bingguo 8212; to 8220;accelerate their efforts to arrive at a boundary settlement8221;.

An early boundary settlement on the basis of the political parameters agreed last April, he added, will 8220;advance the basic interests8221; of the two countries, he said.

This was echoed by Hu, except that he felt differences on this issue must not hold up progress in other spheres of the strategic relationship. The foreign secretary confirmed that dates for SR-level talks are being worked out through diplomatic channels.

China also displayed greater understanding to India 8216;s quest for civilian nuclear energy. While China did not indicate any direct support to the deal in the Nuclear Suppliers Group NSG, the joint declaration agreed by the two leaders is clear that both countries will advance international civilian nuclear cooperation through 8220;innovative and forward-looking approaches8221;.

Having not specifically requested China for support in the NSG, India views this formulation as a significant step forward in Beijing8217;s position.

Further, China conveyed to India that it will not be an obstacle to New Delhi8217;s aspirations in the United Nations, including the UN Security Council. Sources said Hu assured Singh on this during their talks.

Both leaders had a 15-minute one-on-one meeting after a 40-minute restricted meeting that included External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Advisor Narayanan.

While addressing these issues, the two sides did not lose focus on other aspects of the strategic partnership with Beijing keen on enlarging the economic content. Hu made it clear to the PM that China did not see Indian growth as a 8220;threat8221; but as an 8220;opportunity8221;.

The two leaders agreed on a feasibility study for a Regional Trade Agreement besides setting a trade volume target of 40 billion by 2010.

So both sides agreed to explore possibilities of border trade and open new points in Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu 038; Kashmir. It may be noted that Arunachal Pradesh has already proposed four points to the Centre through which border trade could begin on the lines of Nathu La. It was also agreed to hold a car rally from Kolkata to Kunming.

On the other key issue of trans-border rivers, the two sides will now enlarge the conversation by setting up a Secretary-level expert mechanism on sharing data from floods to emergency management. The Lohit river has been included to the list of Brahmaputra and Sutlej.