Raised incursion issue with China,but no blame game: Salman Khurshid

Says such incidents should 'not obstruct meaningful growth' in ties.

A week after the Ladakh incursion issue got resolved,External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Saturday sought to set a positive tone for Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiangs visit later this month,saying such incidents should not be allowed to stand in the way and obstruct very meaningful growth in India-China relations.

China too reached out as it released two Indian nationals in Yiwu who had been detained after a trade dispute.

Speaking to mediapersons after his return from Beijing,Khurshid said he took up the incursion issue with Li,who is scheduled to visit India on May 20. I did say to the Chinese side and shared with the premier that we felt it is important to anaylse our respective systems and to work out why such things happened… we would be able to take some lessons from the manner in which it was resolved and some lessons on how to ensure such things do not get repeated, he said.

He,however,said they were not doing a post-mortem,or apportioning blame,adding that the trick was not to score points.

We both believe that our vision and our commitment is to the larger picture between India and China and we are equally determined that such incidents should not be allowed to stand in the way and obstruct meaningful growth in our relationship, he said. And,if at all,despite best efforts,such things happens,then we are able to address it with great urgency and less passage of time then we suffered this time,which was three weeks, he added.

Khurshid took comfort in the fact that the word incursion was being used. Incursion can be a joyride,but intrusion is aggressive, he said.

The minister also said that for the first time since 1954,India and China will exchange two-way high-level bilateral visits this year as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Beijing later this year.

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Stressing that his meeting with Li was outstanding and very friendly,very open,Khurshid quoted the Chinese premier as telling him that the world is thinking big,let us think bigger.

On the border dispute,he said the special representatives of the two countries will meet for the 16th round of talks in the next couple of months. Noting that China has given a proposal for a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA),Khurshid said India has also given a counter proposal.

Under BDCA,China has proposed expansion of friendly contacts and more communication between the troops of the two sides on the ground,which will help avoid any misunderstanding or flare-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Khurshid also said for the first time China has shown sensitivity towards Indias demand for expanding the mechanism to deal with issues pertaining to trans-border rivers. He said the Chinese re-affirmed that Indias interests will not be harmed.

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An MoU on visa simplification and liberalisation is also being discussed,on which the Chinese are positive,but it will not be ready before Lis visit,he said.

He also talked about increasing Chinese investment in India,including a proposal for setting up a Chinese industrial park in India. When asked about a possible location,he said he would be happy if it is set up in his home state of Uttar Pradesh.

Saying the trade imbalance had to be very specifically addressed,he said he met officials of private IT companies,and hoped to take up the issue during Lis visit.

He said two proposals which need more work are: the BCIM economic corridor,which connects Bangladesh,China,India and Myanmar; and the proposed regional trading arrangement.