Mission accomplished, says president, after 'fruitful' talks with China

Upbeat about her "fruitful" talks with China's leadership,
president Pratibha Patil today said that she had accomplished
her goal of enhancing "trust, friendship and understanding"
between the two countries.

Citing the support of the Chinese leaders on several crucial issues, including India's bid for membership of the UN Security Council and correcting the trade imbalance now heavily in favour of China, Patil said that Sino-Indian relationship has gone beyond purely bilateral aspects and had acquired a global dimension.

On her way back home from Shanghai at the conclusion of
her six-day state visit, the first by an Indian president in a
decade, Patil recalled her "constructive, wide-ranging and
fruitful" talks with president Hu Jintao and Premier Wen
Jiabao.

"We agreed to expand, deepen and diversify the strategic and cooperative partnership between our two countries", she told reporters accompanying her.

Asked about the border dispute with China, the president
underlined that India wanted a "fair, reasonable and mutually
acceptable" resolution of the issue. A mechanism had been set
up for this purpose and some progress has been made.

Pending the resolution of the dispute, the two countries have decided that they would maintain peace and tranquility along the border, she pointed out.

Patil said that her programme in China was geared to increase trust, friendship and understanding between the two neighbours. "I believe I have accomplished these goals."

The commitment of the Chinese leadership to strengthen ties with India "was evident in all my meetings", the president said, adding, "I focused attention on India's aspirations for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council (UNSC)."

Hu and Wen were understanding and supportive of India's desire, she said, adding that the Chinese president had expressed his country's support for India's candidature for a non-permanent seat in UNSC for 2011-2012.

Referring to another key issue of trade imbalance, Patil said, "after my discussions in Beijing I am confident that we can further increase and diversify our economic interaction with China in a balanced manner."

Three private sector business MoUs signed in Shanghai before she took off for Delhi as well as the three pacts in aviation and sports sector inked between the two governments when she was in Beijing were cited by the president as part of the success of her visit.

Her discussions also focused on ways to meet the bilateral trade target of $60 billion before the end of this year. The trends in the first quarter indicate that this was achievable.

Asked whether there was a possibility of defence cooperation, the President pointed out that there was already a programme of military exchanges.

Responding to a question on the construction of a dam on Bhramputra river on the Chinese side, Patil said that China
had given India hydro data which was useful in flood forecast
and water management.

Addressing the India-China Business Forum in Shanghai, China's commercial hub, Patil asked business leaders of the
two countries to develop "models of cooperation" that will address concerns of both sides and realise their true trade potential.

The president said the relationship between India and China has the potential to become "one of the biggest economic and business relationships of the century".

"For a long-term partnership, it is important that we develop models of cooperation that take into account the concerns of both parties. I am sure that this will happen even as our economic relationship unfolds," she said.

Lauding the growth in bilateral trade from a modest $3 billion in 2000 to an impressive $52 billion in 2008, the president said there was still "considerable room" for further expansion but stressed that there was a need to make India's export basket fairly representative of its competence.

"India's export basket to China is not representative of India's competence in a number of areas - for example pharmaceuticals and engineering products constitute only a small portion. Similarly, India's vaunted IT industry has a limited presence in the Chinese domestic market," she said.

In 2009, the trade imbalance between the two nations tilted heavily against India. China enjoyed trade surplus of $16 billion out of the total $44 billion bilateral trade and its exports to India nearly touched $30 billion.

She also said India stands ready to do more business and welcomed investment by Chinese companies. 

After her three-day stay in Beijing, Patil went to Luoyang in central China's Henan province where she dedicated the first Indian-styled Buddhist temple in China built close to the famous White Horse temple complex there.

She visited Indian and Chinese pavilions at Shanghai Expo-2010 and unveiled a statue of poet Rabindranath Tagore at a street in Shanghai commemorating his visit to the eastern Chinese city.