Move patiently on border issue: Mukherjee

Be patient on resolving long standing border dispute and work simultaneously on other vital issues of mutual understanding and co-operation, is the mantra of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, which he is following during his four-day visit to China that comes to an end on Saturday.

"We need to be patient and realistic on the border issue. We will have to resolve these differences through negotiations in a constructive and forward looking manner. China and India should work together on security issues in the region. We have a common responsibility and a common interest in saving our border. We have gained experience to maintain peace and tranquillity on our frontiers," said Pranab Mukherjee during his speech at Peking University.

Maintaining peace, security and stability in the region is the prime agenda of both the countries together with increasing bilateral trade amid the peaceful and trustworthy environment. India and China should work together and support United Nations' welfare programmes and part actively with other international political and economic institutions with current realities. He said that the co-operation between the two fastest growing emerging economies-India and China has global significance and so share a common responsibility and a common interest in shaping the world in future.

Mukherjee's statements are the reflection of Chinese youth's mind who are thinking to put the border issue on the backburner and go ahead on the other vital issues.

Mr. Mukherjee also said that New Delhi is ready to work together with Beijing in evolving sub regional flexible security architecture to ensure peace and stability in Asia and beyond. The open and inclusive forum will also help in addressing common concerns comprising the security of sea lanes.

The scheme should be based on "basic building blocks" of regional dialogue forums, comprising the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, he added.

Mukherjee said the dialogue is going on in the right direction. We had a wide range of discussions on bilateral relations. The bilateral trade hopefully would touch USD 60 billion by 2010, he said. We have also held dialogue on border issue and decided to go on the issue with patience.

India and China have discussed 11 times in a meeting on border issue since 2003 when the mechanisms of the representatives of both governments was set up.

In 2005, India and China agreed on a set of political principles during the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi to guide both sides to achieve mutual satisfactory solution.

During Prime Minister’s visit to China in mid-January this year, the two sides positively appraised the work of the Special Representatives in seeking a mutually acceptable framework for a settlement on the boundary issue that will be based on the “Agreement on Guiding Principles and Political Parameters” signed in April 2005.

The on-going tour is the first high-level political exchange between the two nations after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited China in mid-January this year.