Greatest Neighbour

Greatest Neighbour

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time- Two Hundred Twenty Four
Palash Biswas




Excluding Pakistan, the relations with other major countries in the sub continent remained problematic. Four decades have passed since Indo-Sino war and the relations have not normalised despite claims false to create trans border global market. Globalisation decides the character of foreign policy nowdays. So China is still a great neighbour despite INDO US sexy nuclear tango!

Well, Manmohan says it safely that China is the greatest neighbour as United states of America do not belong to this subcontinent! What about Bangladesh? Nepal? or Shrilanka?
It is US dictate that Indian leadership always refers to Pakistan. Others even do not deserve to be referred at all? Pdt. Nehru, once upon a time, put China on topmost priority. Rest is History!


Pl see:Sino-Indian War inWikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_War

Bush-PM meet lasts just few minutes and it is More and more, it is becoming clear, the Prime Minister will visit China later this year.The mild-mannered Manmohan Singh is not known for picking superlatives to send multiple signals, both to audiences at home and abroad, on India’s complex and somewhat uneasy relationship with China.But after his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao this morning, the Prime Minister called Beijing Delhi’s “greatest neighbour”, with whom India wanted the “greatest relationship”, and that he would do “everything possible” in his power to improve, promote and cement ties with that great country.The only thing Singh did not say was that India and China were “bhai-bhai” or even “best friends” — but that is an honour New Delhi currently reserves for America.

Mind you,Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday expressed concern over cross-border terrorism and proliferation of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons in India’s neighbourhood.
Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri La Dialogue on the role of China and India in building international stability, Antony said India still had unresolved border issues and it had been facing the abovementioned challenges for over two decades.

The minister said Sino-India relations had undergone a significant improvement.

On Pakistan, he said the composite dialogue had changed the climate of Indo-Pak ties for the better. However, he emphasised that that it was imperative for Pakistan to deliver on its commitment not to permit any territory under its control to be used for supporting terrorism.

How the neighbours behave in Nandigram, it is yet to be seen as the political game continues and Haldia remains the destination for Chemical Hub for Salim and DOWs! Buddhdev is no Budhia and his Marathan on the Marxist Capitalist Highway is not going to stop. Only Ms Mamata Bannerjee seems to join him as a surprise inclusion!In a scathing attack on Left Front allies, CPI-M state secretary Mr Biman Bose today alleged that some Front partners are trying to gain political mileage out of the Nandigram crisis. He was speaking at the inauguration of a renovated CPI-M office in north Kolkata.
Not naming the Forward Bloc, RSP and the CPI - parties that criticised the government and the CPI-M after the Nandigram killings - Mr Bose said : “Some of our allies think that they may become stronger if the CPI-M suffers. So they keep silent when we draw the flak. Some are even fanning the fire from sidelines. But I would like to remind them that history repeats itself and it doesn’t spare anyone. Nobody will gain if CPI-M becomes weak.”
“Some leaders think that they can solve the Nandigram crisis from Kolkata. They are mistaken. The peace process has to start at Nandigram”, Mr Bose said indirectly hinting at the all-party process started by Bloc secretary Mr Ashok Ghosh.
Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee is awaiting a positive response from the state government to the vexed issue of the Tata small car project at Singur.
Mr Partha Chatterjee, Leader of the Opposition, today said Miss Banerjee is hopeful that the state government would come out with an acceptable formula to thrash out the issue in the light of the one-on-one exchange that she had with Mr Jyoti Basu early this week.
Meanwhile, the CPI-M has mounted a fresh attack on the Centre’s new initiative to turn around the dismal fortunes of the agriculture sector.
The CPI-M, which leads the Left parties in extending crucial outside support to the Manmohan Singh government, is irked by the Centre’s “soft-corner” for contract and corporate farming and its “basic policy” aimed at making peasant agriculture subservient to the corporate capital.

Proposal on Singur land being worked out: Basu

Press Trust of India / Kolkata June 8, 2007

West Bengal's Left Front government is working on a proposal to find a solution to the stand-off over the acquisition of land in Singur for Tata Motors' small car plant, veteran CPI-M leader Jyoti Basu said today.Basu, who took the initiative to hold a meeting with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to find a solution to problems over acquisition of land for industry in Singur and Nandigram, said industry minister Nirupam Sen is working on the proposal.

"Nirupam is listing points. Legal aspects are also being looked into. Let's see what happens," Basu said.

The opposition Trinamool Congress has demanded the return of land that it claims was forcibly acquired from farmers in Singur.

Now, DLF offers displaced, land, job & training

BS Reporter / Kolkata June 8, 2007

After JSW Steel, DLF will hand out a dream compensation package to land-losers for the 4,800 acre Dankuni township in West Bengal, which will be bigger than Gurgaon.The main components in the DLF package are : one job per family losing land, technical training and two cottahs of land per family or housing.

Surojit Basak, chief financial officer, DLF Home Developers said, according to the land survey, around 600 families would lose land.Basak, however, said that the number could change.

The package is over and above what DLF is shelling out for the land. Basak said the company is buying the land at market rate, which is Rs 55 lakh per acre.The company had last year won the bid to build the township by offering Rs 2,713 crore. Around three-fifth of the land would be used for residential use while the balance for commercial. The township will also house DLF's textile special economic zone (SEZ).The total project cost is around Rs 33,000 crore.

Last week, JSW announced a compensation package for land-losers in its Bengal steel project, which entailed giving free shares to land-losers, which was the first time that a company had made such announcement in the country.

DLF's land-for-land scheme is the first time that a company would be coming up with in West Bengal to compensate land-losers.


People ousted from Nandigram begin returning
Kolkata: People who fled their homes after the March 14 violence in Nandigram today began returning even as Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, declined to specify when an all-party meeting on restoring peace in the troubled block in East Midnapore would be held.

"Keep your eyes and ears open," was all Bhattacharjee said when asked by reporters about the date of the meeting.

Home Secretary, P R Roy, said 50 people had returned to their homes in Nandigram. He did not specify their political affiliation.

The ruling CPI-M has claimed that nearly 2,500 of its supporters were forced out of Nandigram since violence rocked the area.

The Trinamool Congress-backed Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee, which is spearheading protests in Nandigram against the acquisition of land for industry, alleged that none of its supporters who fled their homes from adjoining CPI-M-dominated Khejuri were able to return.

The process of the return of the homeless to Nandigram has been underway since yesterday and has been event-free, police said.

Meanwhile, the report of the administrative inquiry by Burdwan's Divisional Commissioner, Balbir Ram, into the March 14 police firing and violence that left 14 dead will be submitted towards the end of this month.



Sino-Pakistan nuclear agreement likely: Chomsky


By Anwar Iqbal

WASHINGTON, May 31: The Indo-US nuclear deal would encourage China to have a similar arrangement with Pakistan, says prominent US scholar Noam Chomsky. In an interview published by several US media outlets, Mr Chomsky also reviews India-Pakistan relations, observing that for a durable relationship between the two neighbours it is important to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Mr Chomsky, an internationally renowned linguist, author and foreign policy expert, recalled that shortly after the US and India signed the nuclear deal, China approached Pakistan with sort of a similar agreement.

He warned that the US desire to sell advanced military equipment to India could lead to a dangerous arms race in South Asia. “If India gets more advanced offensive military equipment, Pakistan will want the same, and China will want the same,” he said.

The Indo-US nuclear deal, he said, was “a sharp blow” to the international system created to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons and missile technologies.

“It is predictable that as soon as the US broke it, someone else would break it too … once you open the door, others are going to follow.”

Mr Chomsky noted that while there has been an obvious improvement in India-Pakistan relations, there were a couple of major problems that need to be dealt with.

“One of them, of course, is Kashmir. The question is, can they figure out a joint solution to the Kashmir conflict,” he said.

Mr Chomsky said that Kashmir was not just a territorial issue but also had an “identity factor”.

“The Muslim population and the Hindu population do separate on those lines. Does that mean they have to be broken up? Not necessarily. There are 160 million Muslims living in India. There has been tension and some serious atrocities but it has been over the centuries a reasonably integrated society,” he added.

Mr Chomsky noted “a willingness” in both India and Pakistan to “put aside what could be major tensions, like a terrorist operation in Mumbai or something attributed to Pakistanis”.

Improvement in India’s relations with China, he said may also help Islamabad and New Delhi overcome some of their conflicts.

Explaining the current trend of extremism in South Asia, Mr Chomsky described the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India as “a very dangerous development”.

“One of the roots of the BJP is a quasi-fascist Hindu extremist movement. And for India that is extremely dangerous. These are very dangerous movements. They are not inherently destructive. They could take a constructive path but that's not the way they usually develop.

“How do you combat them? The same way you combat any other dangerous movement: education, organisation, looking at the issues that make them arise. Often they arise out of real or perceived oppression, as a reaction to it.”
http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/01/top8.htm

Between any two neighbours as big as India and China, there is bound to be some tension even at the best of times. As relations between them deteriorated in the early 1960s, their cold war spilled over into Nepal and to a far lesser extent into Bhutan. Myanmar and Sri Lanka went their own ways. In the wake of the recent Maoist uprising in Nepal, India rushed to offer and provide aid. The Indian Express reported from Kathmandu: "China's posture doesn't suggest it is as interested in Nepali affairs as India is. It is aloof, physically, psychologically and politically" (December 4, 2001). Nepal turned to China in the past whenever India pressed it too hard. In the last two decades, if not earlier, China has shown no inclination to meddle in Indo-Nepal relations. The entire picture of "rivalry" is overdrawn. The author has not only missed the wood for the trees but has failed to see the trees clearly enough.

One passage suffices to show his lack of understanding of the situation. "Tibet is virtually the only effective mechanism of leverage India has against Beijing. China's vulnerability in Tibet is to India what India's vulnerability vis-a-vis Pakistan is to China. The extremely deep ethnic cleavage between Han and Tibetan is similar to the Indian-Pakistani gulf. Repeated efforts to bridge both gulfs have had limited success, and hard-minded strategists recognise the leverage offered by these deep and durable cleavages. The closeness of Pakistan to Indian industrial and political centres, combined with the proven martial competence of Pakistan, increases the Pakistani threat to India. Similarly, the immense logistical difficulties associated with Tibet's terrain and remoteness increase the threat to Beijing created by a possible Indian-Tibetan link. Just as China has never played its Pakistan card to the extent of actually entering an India-Pakistan war, so India has never played its Tibet card by using its military forces to support a Tibetan rebellion against China. But both sides are well aware of these options, which figure in their calculations. Just as New Delhi has pondered the possibility of Chinese entry into an India-Pakistan war, Beijing has considered the possibility of Indian support for a Tibetan rebellion."

India has simply no "leverage" in Tibet, in fact or in intent. It has neither the means nor the desire nor domestic public backing for "Indian support for a Tibetan rebellion".
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1901/19010770.htm


But what is India’s stance on the international plane and where will its power politics lead it? Has India the capabilities to compete with other powers such as the EU and China which try to defy the US as the world’s hyperpower? What are the assets that India can bring to the world community in terms of economic prosperity, cultural value, and international stability?

Let’s get the criticism out of the way at first. The one billion population is overstraining natural resources leading to deforestation, water and air pollution, excessive use of agricultural pesticides, which in turn leads to wide-spread diseases such as Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In addition natural hazards mostly caused by the monsoon lead to flooding, and if the monsoon stays away severe droughts will follow. Exacerbating these catastrophes is the attitude of the government towards undertaking precautious measures. Even though India is a democracy with a strong federal system, it suffers from a high level of corruption.

However there is hope: On 3rd of July 2006 the media joined up and started the action “drive against bribery” using the “Right to Information Act” to interrogate the government. Moreover, India’s economy is expected to grow at eight percent in the year 2006 with IT and pharmacy becoming high profile sectors in the country. The government is also investing in high profile projects such as a 10 lane highway connecting Bangalore and Electronic city, and Metros for Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. So-called Special Economic Zones are set up, which offer favorable conditions to foreign businesses. The EU constitutes the most important destination for India’s export commodities such as engineering goods, chemicals and textiles, even though hardly anyone on the street knows what the European Union is. At the moment, electricity 24x7 remains a dream for most households in the bigger cities. However, the Indo-US nuclear deal which passed already two hurdles in the American law-making system promises to alleviate India’s constant energy problem.

On the international plane, the decade long animosity between Pakistan and India seems to come to a halt, with bus services restored between India and Pakistan in the highly disputed Kashmir region and a cease-fire since 2004. Regarding Sino-Indian relations, there is also some progress to be witnessed with border trade between those two countries to be resumed in 2006. Tensions between Pakistan and India may however rise again through the nuclear deal with the US canceling out Pakistan. A recent move of Pakistan has thus been the nomination of Maleeha Lodhi as its candidate for UN secretary general, essentially to counter Indian nominee Shashi Tharoor. Besides, Pakistan remains the main regional rival to India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

On the multilateral level India has declared its sphere of influence to encompass Sri-Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and large parts of the Indian Ocean. For instance, India remains involved in crisis management in Sri-Lanka, where only recently a local terrorist group the “Tamil Tigers” has killed a senior army official. India is also not a light weight when it comes to multilateral institutions such as the WTO. With the current price hike in essential commodities such as tomatoes and wheat, where prices have doubled during the last months, leaving many Indian families desperate, India takes a strong stance in the protection of his farmers and agricultural industry. This rigorous attitude was shown when the Indian delegation to Geneva demonstratively walked out of the negotiations on July 2nd 2006.

Culturally, India has become a major player in the last decades with products such as Henna tattoos, Chicken Tandoori, Ayurvedic medicine, Buddhism, and the billion dollars film industry called “Bollywood” being known all around the globe. India even has its very own superhero called “Krrish”.

Taking these facts together it seems as if India is on the right track to become not only a major economic power in the world but is also aware of its considerable soft powers when it meets with other nations in international negotiations. Regarding the capabilities, India can certainly be counted to the challengers of the throne, held by the US over the last 50 years. However, it remains to be seen whether China, the EU or India is coming through in the end. Anyway it will be up to the next generation of leaders to decide if they want this throne and the responsibilities that come with it.
http://studentpa.info/spip.php?article179

Lavishing praise on one another, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao today expressed confidence that the boundary dispute between the two countries could be resolved through the ongoing negotiations between their special representatives (SRs).Confirming that the issue figured at the 35-minute meeting between the two leaders, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said Dr Singh and Mr Hu reposed faith in the talks between the National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, but did not take up the recent spat over China's refusal to grant visa to an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh.


Coverage: Dr Singh at G-8 Summit
http://www.rediff.com/news/pmgermany07.html?zcc=rl

Putin and Bush in Defense of Europe
Kommersant - 7 hours ago
Yesterday the leaders of the G8, despite opposition from anti-globalization activists, discussed the issues of climate change, met with the leaders of the youth G8, and managed to chat amongst themselves.
Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: Assessing the New Cold War Russia Profile
Are we moving towards a new East-West confrontation? Le Figaro

G8 accused of failing Africa over Aids
Telegraph.co.uk - 1 hour ago
By David Blair Diplomatic Correspondent in Kühlungsborn. Leaders of the G8 have been accused of failing Africa after they made a “misleading” pledge to spend £30 billion on fighting Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
G8 announces $60 billion aid deal for Africa Times Online
G8 pledges $60 billion Africa disease package New Straits Times


It was the shortest possible meeting between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh [Images] and US President George Bush.The keenly-awaited meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G-8 summit in Heiligendamm in Germany [Images] was expected to lead to a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations on the Indo-US nuclear deal.However, with Bush going down with a stomach ailment, all that was possible was a push-aside meeting at which Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon was also present.There won't be a formal bilateral meeting between Dr Singh and Bush for now, sources in the Indian embassy here told rediff.com.This is a far cry from the bonhomie evident between the two leaders since 2005, when Dr Singh travelled to Washington, DC - the first such visit by an Indian prime minister in four years - and during which trip the historic nuclear deal was signed between the two leaders.Since then the two have met a few times at various forums, each meeting strengthening the ties between the world's largest and oldest democracies. Every time the nuclear deal ran into a roadblock, the Bush administration stepped in to smoothen the path.Now in its last lap, where it is hobbled by American insistence and India's unwillingness to cede what it considers its sovereign rights, the nuclear deal was expected to be delivered home by the Bush-Singh summit. However, with the US president's indisposition, that is not to be, at least for now.


By all accounts, this was stirring stuff. Perhaps, Berlin’s hot weather had something to do with the warmth of the Prime Minister’s meeting with the President. Maybe both leaders will even speak softly together now and tell the all-powerful G8 in Heilingendamm tomorrow that developing nations like themselves must be more than adequately compensated for any promises they may make on climate change.More likely, however, Singh was very subtly telling off the Left parties at home — especially those who swear by the Chinese way — that the great leaps forward that continue to be undertaken by Comrade Hu & Co. are embedded in the Communist Party of China’s economic reform policies.And so, the news from Singh’s meeting with Hu today is that the good news dominates.

Meanwhile, in Srinagar, Media organisations here Friday received a VCD and a statement purportedly from the al-Qaeda saying it is declaring war on India.The VCD shows a man called Abu Abdul Rehman Ansari, who describes himself as a top member of the terror group. Wearing a black mask and shot against a blank background, the man announces "holy war" against India. The statement is in Arabic and Urdu.

On the other hand,the Prime Minister never even brought up the matter of Beijing refusing a visa for the Arunachal Pradesh IAS officer. Border talks between National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and his Chinese counterpart Dai Bingguo may be slipping and stalling over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, but the conversation continues.

“Forty years ago, between India and China, there was only a single-point relationship, that around the border. Today, there is a full, whole range of activities that states and societies undertake,” foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told journalists after the meeting.

Seems as if the Sino-Indian trade trajectory, currently growing at an impressive 56.4 per cent, will surely reach its target of $40 billion by 2010. Certainly, it is the fastest growth rate for any of China’s trade partners. The special representatives on the border talks have met twice this year. One hundred Indian youths will soon wend their way to China — appropriately led by minister for youth & sports Mani Shankar Aiyar — to mark the friendship year through tourism. China will return the compliment soon.

On climate change, the current bugbear of western nations, Menon insisted that there was a “large degree of congruence and identity of views” between India and China. Both leaders will iterate before the G8 tomorrow that “developing nations” cannot be expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions, unless the developed world commits itself to transparent targets.

The two leaders agreed that the special representatives could work out an ''early solution'' under the guiding principles and political parameteres finalised during the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to India in 2005.

Mr Menon said the very fact that the SRs had met twice this year showed that they were working ''very hard'' and there was ''progress.'' Asked about Chinese Foreign Minister's recent contention that his country's claim over Arunachal Pradesh could not be weakened by any argument, Mr Menon merely said this was part of the negotiations between the SRs.

In a brief statement before going into the talks, Dr Singh described China as India's ''greatest neighbour'' and said New Delhi would do everything possible to have strongest relations with it.

On his part, Mr Hu lauded Dr Singh for his ''vision and insight'' and the positive attitude that had contributed to the growth of the bilateral relations to a better understanding in the past two years which witnessed an indepth exchange of views.

The Chinese President renewed his invitation to Dr Singh to visit China, while the Prime Minister said he was looking forward to the visit which was being worked out at the diplomatic level.

Mr Menon said since the enunciation of the 10-point strategic cooperation during the visit of Mr Hu to India in November last year, the relations between the two countries were growing at a never-before pace with comprehensive engagements across a range of activities.

''We have done very well on trade which witnessed a 56.8 per cent growth at over 11 billion dollars in the first four months of this year. At this rate, the two countries were well on course to doubling their trade to 20 billion dollars much before the deadline of 2010,'' he said.

India to open-up education sector to foreign universities
London: India will soon open up its educational sector to foreign universities, Science and Technology Minister, Kapil Sibal, has said.

"We are going to open up our educational sector to the foreign universities and it is going to be one of the largest FDI earners," Sibal said replying to a question at the Tehelka Summit here on the 'Challenge of India' which concluded today.

Sibal said relevant legislation for the purpose was on the anvil. "All foreign universities would be allowed in India," he said. Sibal said the main concern of the government was how to actually spread education and allow talents to grow in India.

Answering a question on Special Economics Zones, he said of the 237 proposals 234 have already been approved.Most of the SEZs were in Information Technology field, he said.


Gaps between India and US on N-deal exist: Kakodkar
Hyderabad: India will not accept the civil nuclear deal with the US if it adversely affects New Delhi's nuclear programme and both sides are now engaged in narrowing their differences over the pact, the country's top atomic scientist said today.

"The basic question is that India's interests must be safeguarded. Keeping this in mind we are discussing the 123 agreement with Washington," Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Anil Kakodkar, told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

"The main hitch in implementing the deal is that there are gaps between the US and India's positions and we are discussing how to bridge the gaps," he said.

Kakodkar's comment came on a day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is meeting US President George Bush on the sidelines of G-8 summit in Germany to discuss the deal and push for conclusion of the 123 agreement that will operationalise the landmark pact.

He noted that India is competent in nuclear energy and has proved that the cost of building atomic power plants need not be exorbitant.

"India has built power stations where the capital cost is most competitive as compared to other countries," said Kakodkar, who is also secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy.



Biannual Indo-China border meet turns 'cold and quick'

By Sudhakar Jagdish
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/145428.php/Biannual-Indo-China-border-meet-turns-cold-and-quick

New Delhi, May 30: The bi-annual border personnel meeting between Indian and Chinese army officials at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh turned out to be "formal, quick and completely official" without any cultural festivities that had become a routine affair in recent years.

The meeting, which has been consistently being held since 1999 after the signing of a bilateral 1993 Peace and Tranquillity agreement, lacked euphoria this time in the wake of recent controversies surrounding the Chinese intrusion of Indian territory in Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh, as claimed by the State BJP MP Karen Rijiju.

The border meeting that was led by Brigadier Sanjay Kulkarni from Indian side and Colonel Zang Wei Guo from the Chinese side remained mostly confined to closed-door meeting, as the 'casual' interaction between the personnel of the two countries and their family members were completely shunned off this time.

However, Brigadier Kulkarni told reporters that the meeting was held in a cordial environment.

Brig. Kulkarni also refuted reports about the possible enhancement of troops along the Sino-India border in Arunachal, a day ahead of the visit of a 30-member Parliamentary delegation to Tawang from which the controversial MP Karen Rijiju has been left out.

In spite of a successful week-long visit to Beijing by Army chief General J J Singh that saw the two countries institutionalising the yearly defence dialogue, which was part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between the two countries during the 2006 visit of the then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to China, the bilateral relations between the two neighbours have run into a rough weather.

On Tuesday Beijing asked New Delhi not to bring "differences" to the fore till the boundary dispute is settled. hinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in Beijing that bringing bilateral differences into the front before the boundary issue is resolved might affect exchanges between the two nations.

"We hold that the boundary issue between China and India should be settled fairly and reasonably at an early date through friendly consultations," she had said when asked to comment on China's refusal to grant visa to an Indian IAS official from Arunachal Pradesh.

The claims of Chinese intrusion followed by Beijing's denial of visa to a Arunachal born IAS officer that led to cancellation of the visit of 107 IAS officers for mid-career training in China have brought a new chill in the bilateral relations of the two countries.

In German city Hamburg, Pranab Mukherjee met with his newly appointed Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and both the leaders during their 40-minute talk discussed the boundary dispute also.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh could possibly visit Beijing as he had accepted Chinese President Hu Jintao's invitation when the latter had paid a visit to New Delhi in November 2006.