Jul. 24 – India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna held his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at the ASEAN forum in Phuket yesterday.
Both ministers stressed that India and China are not rivals but partners in an emerging Asia. “India and China may be competitive in economic and trade areas, but they are not rivals. There is enough space for both India and China to grow,” Krishna told media after his talk with Yang on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN ministerial meetings in this Thai resort.
On the meeting with Yang, Krishna said: “We reciprocated the mutual desire to deepen our multi-faceted cooperation between India and China.”
Krishna rejected speculation about a Chinese threat and said he conveyed to his Chinese counterpart India’s desire to forge “a lasting friendship and partnership” in the region. The Chinese foreign minister conveyed that Beijing was looking forward to the visit of President Pratibha Patil later in the year, Krishna added.
The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the expansion of economic ties, despite political differences over issues like border disputes and China’s opposition to a development loan for India by the Asian Development Bank.
By 2010, bilateral trade between the two neighbors is estimated to surpass US$60 billion.
