Foreign secretary throws light on president Pratibha Patil’s China visit

Ahead of president Pratibha Devisingh Patil’s first state visit to China beginning Wednesday, the message from the government is clear.

Despite differences on several scores, China remains the top priority on India’s foreign policy.

While several issues — including border problem, stapled visas, security concerns about Chinese telecom giants operating here — remain to be sorted out, the overall ties at the highest political level between the two Asian giants are on the mend.

“India-China ties are not predicated on one or two issues. Honestly, I feel that people should take a wider view... I am positive about it,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who is accompanying the president, told reporters on Tuesday.

Rao acknowledged there were problemsto be solved between the two neighbours. As in all mature relations, India and China did not agree on all issues, but both could live with that. At the same time, attempt was on to remain engaged, she said.

China’s help for Pakistan’s nuclear programme has always been a cause for worry in South Block. The latest reports of China helping Pakistan with nuclear reactors for civilian use were being watched carefully by India. While New Delhi had no problems with any country using nuclear power to generate electricity, it wants to make sure this is not diverted for other purposes.

Rao said according to the information received so far, the reactors would operate under IAEA safeguards. “But the Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines also have to be observed,” she added.

A nagging issue in growing economic ties between India and China has been New Delhi’s anxiety about allowing Chinese telecom giants like Huawei to enter India. Despite efforts made by some sections in the establishment to push the case of Huawei, security fears over allowing a multi-million dollar firm with alleged links with the Peoples Liberation Army remain. In fact, the company is lobbying hard to get into the lucrative Indian market.

“There is no intention to discriminate against any specific country. There are, of course, legitimate security concerns in certain sectors,” Rao said.

“Our effort is to tackle this issue in a non-discriminatory and transparent manner. I would like to add that we attach importance to cooperation in the telecom sector,” the foreign secretary asserted.

Despite the assurance from Nirupama Rao, India’s security agencies are against the entry of Chinese firms into India’s telecom sector. This is mainly because the Chinese chips and systems are not compatible with India’s and can be used to gather information of a sensitive nature.