The most anticipated meeting of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit will take place at the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin tomorrow. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao at 9 am India time — 10.30 am in Thailand — at the club room of the luxurious Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel.

Immediately afterward, at 11.30 am, Singh is scheduled to meet with Yukio Hatoyama, the Prime Minister of Japan. He will be accompanied by Secretary (East) N Ravi and Joint Secretary (East Asia division) Vijay Gokhle — who handles the China-Japan desk in the Ministry of External Affairs and speaks fluent Mandarin — at the talks with Wen and Hatoyama.

The PM will meet leaders from a number of other countries subsequently over Saturday and Sunday.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said in New Delhi today that the PM’s meeting with Wen is an “opportunity” to address outstanding issues between the two countries.

“You are aware of the outstanding issues that remain to be resolved between India and China and obviously in meetings of this nature, especially meetings between leadership at the highest level, there is an opportunity to address all these issues,” Rao said.

She, however, reiterated India’s position on Arunachal and the Dalai Lama. “The Dalai Lama is a respected religious and spiritual figure. He is free to travel to any part of the country,” Rao said, adding, “Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.”

Beijing objected strongly to the PM’s October 3 visit to Arunachal on the day the state went to Assembly polls, and a few days later, criticised the Dalai Lama’s planned visit there next month.

... contd.