Singh, Wen hold talks; say differences should not impede ties

Prakash Chawla
Cha-Am Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 24 (PTI) Skirting the
recent Sino-India diplomatic spat over Arunachal Pradesh,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Wen Jiabao
on Saturday made it clear that differences should not impede
growth of a robust strategic partnership between the two
countries.

Meeting on a positive note in this Thai beach resort on
the margins of the ASEAN summit, the two leaders underlined
the importance of building trust, harmony and better
understanding.
They made no mention of the controversies over Arunachal
Pradesh and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during the
meeting at Dusit Thani hotel which lasted almost an hour.
Singh said both sides should have better understanding at
the political level so that the bilateral relations are robust
and are strengthened.
Wen concurred with Singh that the issues which may arise
in the bilateral relationship should be "properly handled"
through discussions and they should not become impediments in
the development of the friendly ties, N Ravi, Secretary (East)
in the Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters.
The meeting came as the two countries struck conciliatory
notes after provocative statements from China on Arunachal
Pradesh evoked a strong response from India.
China regards Arunachal Pradesh a disputed territory and
objected to Singh's visit there for assembly polls, triggering
sharp reaction from India which asserted that the state is an
integral part of the country. (More) PTI PC
JVN


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