In spite of Pak,India waits for stronger word from China on terror and Kashmir

Indian negotiators seem to have hit a familiar wall Chinas sensitivity towards Pakistan.

Struggling to corner a stronger commitment from China on terrorism during Premier Wen Jiabaos visit,Indian negotiators seem to have hit a familiar wall Chinas sensitivity towards Pakistan.

Beijing is unwilling to go the full distance like other P-5 countries and call for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks in the joint communique. While this may not find specific mention,sources said,efforts are on to address the issue by referring to UNSC resolutions like 1267 under which the Lashkar-e-Toiba is listed as a proscribed outfit.

That both countries will work together on countering terrorism through effective implementation may be a possible way to deal with this. Given that Wen is travelling to Islamabad from Delhi,a negative mention of Pakistan is rather unlikely. Negotiators will have another round of talks tomorrow morning.

Wen and Singh had an informal discussion this evening over dinner at the PMs residence ahead of formal talks tomorrow. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna were also present.

Wens speech at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) tomorrow will be closely tracked. From an Indian standpoint,the distance China covers on terrorism is a crucial marker for the relationship as this is a matter of international concern and not just a bilateral issue.

The Mumbai attacks,in particular,have been more than just condemned across the globe. The Indo-US joint statement issued during US President Barack Obamas visit last month called for the defeat of Lashkar-e-Toiba and dismantling of the infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan. The Indo-French and Indo-EU joint statements called for not just bringing to justice the perpetrators but also authors and accomplices of the 26/11 attacks. With such broad international support to what is among the most condemned terror attacks,India is hoping that China agrees to some forward-looking commitment on this subject.

India is also looking for China to recognize Kashmir as one of New Delhis core issues just like Tibet is to Beijing so as to achieve some clarity on the the stapled visas controversy. In doing so,Indian negotiators want China to clearly state that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India just like India endorsed the One China policy.

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While Chinese negotiators are pointing out that India has consistently endorsed the One China policy,India is still to decide how far it can push this linkage in the current round of meetings. But what is clear is that India wants China to treat Jammu and Kashmir in the same way it wants India to treat Tibet and this needs to formalised in a bilateral document. South Block is waiting to see if Wen ends up addressing this issue too in his ICWA speech.

The third key issue of concern from the Indian side is correcting the imbalance in bilateral trade. China,sources said,is more forthcoming to address this issue and there is likely to be some commitment towards easing problems faced by Indian companies in China. These are issues related to market access,government procurement as well as other non-tariff barriers.