ID :
147389
Mon, 10/25/2010 - 20:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/147389
The shortlink copeid
Kan, Singh officially endorse Japan-India FTA
TOKYO, Oct. 25 (Kyodo) - Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh officially endorsed Monday a free trade agreement between the two countries by confirming the end of the negotiations that began in 2007.
The two leaders also agreed to speed up bilateral talks on a civilian nuclear
cooperation pact and reaffirmed their cooperation in reforming the U.N.
Security Council, tackling climate change and supporting conflict-ravaged
Afghanistan.
The move by Japan and India to cement their ties comes at a time when relations
between Japan and China have sunk to their lowest point in years over a
territorial dispute.
Observers say Tokyo hopes to strengthen its partnership with India, a
fast-growing democratic nation with a population of 1.2 billion, as the South
Asian country could serve as a counterbalance to China.
The FTA, on which the two countries had broadly agreed in September, will do
away with tariffs on goods that account for 94 percent of the two-way trade
flow in 10 years.
Following the political endorsement by Kan and Singh, the two countries will
continue working-level preparations for the signing of the FTA as a legal
document.
''It was very gratifying for me to confirm with Prime Minister Singh that it
was not just the two of us but all political parties and a majority of the
people in the two countries agree that we need to further strengthen bilateral
ties,'' Kan said at a joint press announcement after the meeting.
Tokyo aims to sign the accord around the end of the year so it can be submitted
to the next ordinary Diet session that will be convened early next year for
ratification, Japanese officials said.
On the civilian nuclear cooperation pact, which sets a legal framework for
peaceful use and transfer of nuclear-power technologies, Kan and Singh welcomed
the start in June of bilateral negotiations.
The envisioned accord would enable Japanese firms to export nuclear power
generation technology and related equipment to India, which plans to build 20
new nuclear power plants by 2020.
But the move has triggered protests from survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, because India has developed
nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In their statement, Kan and Singh reaffirmed their resolve to achieve total
abolition of nuclear weapons. The Indian premier pledged that New Delhi will
continue commitment to its moratorium on nuclear tests.
Earlier in the day, Singh told a luncheon meeting hosted by the Japan Business
Federation that he recognizes the sensitivity of the issue in Japan, the only
country to have suffered atomic bombings.
Kan and Singh also signed a memorandum on simplifying visa procedures for the
two countries' businesspersons and tourists, which is expected to boost
bilateral personnel exchanges.
Singh arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a three-day visit. He met with Japanese
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara on Monday morning and agreed with him to boost
bilateral economic ties.
In his meeting with Maehara, Singh was quoted by Japanese officials as saying Japan's high-level technologies and India's young labor force and expanding market can form a unique complementary relationship.
The two leaders also agreed to speed up bilateral talks on a civilian nuclear
cooperation pact and reaffirmed their cooperation in reforming the U.N.
Security Council, tackling climate change and supporting conflict-ravaged
Afghanistan.
The move by Japan and India to cement their ties comes at a time when relations
between Japan and China have sunk to their lowest point in years over a
territorial dispute.
Observers say Tokyo hopes to strengthen its partnership with India, a
fast-growing democratic nation with a population of 1.2 billion, as the South
Asian country could serve as a counterbalance to China.
The FTA, on which the two countries had broadly agreed in September, will do
away with tariffs on goods that account for 94 percent of the two-way trade
flow in 10 years.
Following the political endorsement by Kan and Singh, the two countries will
continue working-level preparations for the signing of the FTA as a legal
document.
''It was very gratifying for me to confirm with Prime Minister Singh that it
was not just the two of us but all political parties and a majority of the
people in the two countries agree that we need to further strengthen bilateral
ties,'' Kan said at a joint press announcement after the meeting.
Tokyo aims to sign the accord around the end of the year so it can be submitted
to the next ordinary Diet session that will be convened early next year for
ratification, Japanese officials said.
On the civilian nuclear cooperation pact, which sets a legal framework for
peaceful use and transfer of nuclear-power technologies, Kan and Singh welcomed
the start in June of bilateral negotiations.
The envisioned accord would enable Japanese firms to export nuclear power
generation technology and related equipment to India, which plans to build 20
new nuclear power plants by 2020.
But the move has triggered protests from survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, because India has developed
nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In their statement, Kan and Singh reaffirmed their resolve to achieve total
abolition of nuclear weapons. The Indian premier pledged that New Delhi will
continue commitment to its moratorium on nuclear tests.
Earlier in the day, Singh told a luncheon meeting hosted by the Japan Business
Federation that he recognizes the sensitivity of the issue in Japan, the only
country to have suffered atomic bombings.
Kan and Singh also signed a memorandum on simplifying visa procedures for the
two countries' businesspersons and tourists, which is expected to boost
bilateral personnel exchanges.
Singh arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a three-day visit. He met with Japanese
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara on Monday morning and agreed with him to boost
bilateral economic ties.
In his meeting with Maehara, Singh was quoted by Japanese officials as saying Japan's high-level technologies and India's young labor force and expanding market can form a unique complementary relationship.
