Li's India visit attracts global attention

Handling differences

China will handle differences with India on the basis of bearing overall ties, said an article in NDTV India. Excerpts:

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today said "India is China's important neighbor," and that Beijing would handle differences with New Delhi keeping the overall bilateral relationship in mind.

The two leaders also held substantive discussions which Li said was "productive". Government sources told NDTV that Singh, in a "firm, upfront and constructive" manner, raised India's boundary concerns with the Chinese premier and said that without maintaining peace at the border, the relationship between the two countries will suffer.

"Everything is on the table," Joint Secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale said when asked about the issues to be discussed between the leaders of the two countries, who are witnessing differences on various crucial matters including boundary, water management, and market access under economic ties.

Regional stability enhanced

China and India pledged to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations, said an article by the Associated Press. Excerpts:

"Both the prime minister and I believe that there are far more shared interests between China and India than the differences we have," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at a joint press conference.

"I shared with Premier Li my view that the rise of China and India is good for the world and that the world has enough space to accommodate the growth aspirations of both our peoples. To make this a reality, it is important to build understanding between our two peoples," Singh said.

The leaders said they both agreed that preserving peace along the borders was crucial to maintaining growth and asked mediators from both countries to work toward a framework for reaching a settlement.

New approaches

India and China will study new ways to ease tensions on border issues, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday on his first official foreign trip, says an article by Reuters. Excerpts:

The number two in the Chinese leadership offered New Delhi a "handshake across the Himalayas" and said the world's most populous nations could become a new engine for the global economy if they could avoid friction on the militarized border.

"Both sides believe that we need to improve the various border-related mechanisms that we have put into place and make them more efficient. We need to appropriately manage and resolve our differences," Li said at a joint news conference with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Among the measures being looked at to reduce the risk of confrontation is allowing higher-level meetings between regional military commanders, an Indian official said.

After India, Li is due to visit Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany and is likely to carry a message that China wants more open foreign relations and should not be seen as a threat.