|
|
Change Your Life! |
Indian president leaves for China visit |
|
News |
|
|
May 29, 2000 NEW DELHI, MAY 28 (AP) - Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan left for China Sunday to hold talks aimed at boosting bilateral economic cooperation and mending uneasy ties between the Asian giants.
Narayanan will begin his trip with a banquet hosted by Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Sunday. During his weeklong visit, he will also meet Prime Minister Zhu Rongli and National People's Congress Chairman Li Peng, the United News of India reported. His talks are expected to cover a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues, UNI said.
The visit will carry forward attempts by India and China to soothe years of bitterness by holding dialogue on key issues, including the vexed boundary question.
India says China illegally occupies 14,500 square miles (37,700 square kilometers) that it seized in the war in the northwest, a barren Himalayan region adjoining India's Kashmir state.
Beijing claims India is holding 36,000 square miles (93,000 square kilometers) that belongs to China in what is now India's eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The two countries share a border of 4,000 kilometers (2,400 miles).
India and China fought a 21-day war in 1962, and have been holding talks since 1988 to settle the boundary dispute. There has been no breakthrough in 12 rounds of discussions.
Narayanan will visit an economic zone and meet with agriculture and industry experts. Two-way trade between Indian and China is valued at dlr 2 billion.
He will also meet with Chinese scholars and address the academic community at Beijing University, UNI said. Narayanan, who holds a figurehead position, first visited China in 1994 when he was vice president. He also served as India's ambassador to China in the 1980s.
|