11-21-2006, 04:26 AM
<!--emo&:eager--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/lmaosmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='lmaosmiley.gif' /><!--endemo--> China may offer N-sops to India
SAIBAL DASGUPTA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006 01:22:37 AM]
BEIJING: Chinese president Hu Jintao is expected to make some serious gestures on the nuclear issue to ensure that India does not get inextricably close to the US, diplomatic sources said. He would also encourage India to settle the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan without promising to re-draw the Chinese map on this strategic location, sources added.
Officials of the two sides have already held some consultations on a possible understanding between the two neighbours on Indiaâs role as a nuclear power. China wants to quickly readjust its approach to Indiaâs role as a nuclear power following the recent decision of the US Senate as well as address Delhiâs concerns over its support to nuclear power plants in Pakistan, sources said. India needs Beijingâs support on its nuclear programme as China is an important member of the Nuclear Suppliersâ Group.
Beijing would prefer a non-aligned India instead of seeing it being used by the US as a counter-weight to Chinaâs growing influence in the international arena, sources said. Hu would persuade India to take a stand on multipolar world in order to counter the dominance of Washington on international matters, they said.
âChina will be more sensitive to Indiaâs concern over Sino-Pakistan relationship,â Ma Jiali, research professor at the official think-tank, Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told TOI. âBut China is ready to promote relations between India and Pakistan,â he said.
âIndian leaders would be conscious of the fact that they would be dealing with him for six more years. Both sides would try their most to make this a milestone visit,â a Chinese observer, who wished to remain unnamed, said.
India and China might agree to greater exchanges among the military establishment of the two sides in order to reduce the prevailing atmosphere of distrust. They might also come up with a new and much larger target for bilateral trade as compared to the $20 billion target that is likely to be accomplished this year. Given an opportunity, China would be happy to play the middleman to settle the Indo-Pak disputes.
Although New Delhi is sensitive to any suggestion of this kind, Beijing would like to be consulted on any proposal for settling the Kashmir issue, sources said.
Both India and Pakistan have observer status in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is Chinaâs forum to build its influence in the region. Islamabad has been clamouring for being made a full member of the SCO but India has not been very keen about it. The entire Kashmir including areas under Indian and Pakistani jurisdiction, are shown as disputed areas in the Chinese map. It is not possible for China to re-draw the map on the Kashmir side until India and Pakistan reach a settlement that is acceptable to Beijing as well, Ma Jiali said. The Chinese president was keen on enlisting Indiaâs support on the issue of multi-polar world in order to weaken the stranglehold of the US on international matters including the Iran nuclear issue.
The bill passed in the US Senate contains a clause that empowers the United States government to stop nuclear supplies to India if it did not back US policies on Iran, it is pointed out.
SAIBAL DASGUPTA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006 01:22:37 AM]
BEIJING: Chinese president Hu Jintao is expected to make some serious gestures on the nuclear issue to ensure that India does not get inextricably close to the US, diplomatic sources said. He would also encourage India to settle the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan without promising to re-draw the Chinese map on this strategic location, sources added.
Officials of the two sides have already held some consultations on a possible understanding between the two neighbours on Indiaâs role as a nuclear power. China wants to quickly readjust its approach to Indiaâs role as a nuclear power following the recent decision of the US Senate as well as address Delhiâs concerns over its support to nuclear power plants in Pakistan, sources said. India needs Beijingâs support on its nuclear programme as China is an important member of the Nuclear Suppliersâ Group.
Beijing would prefer a non-aligned India instead of seeing it being used by the US as a counter-weight to Chinaâs growing influence in the international arena, sources said. Hu would persuade India to take a stand on multipolar world in order to counter the dominance of Washington on international matters, they said.
âChina will be more sensitive to Indiaâs concern over Sino-Pakistan relationship,â Ma Jiali, research professor at the official think-tank, Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told TOI. âBut China is ready to promote relations between India and Pakistan,â he said.
âIndian leaders would be conscious of the fact that they would be dealing with him for six more years. Both sides would try their most to make this a milestone visit,â a Chinese observer, who wished to remain unnamed, said.
India and China might agree to greater exchanges among the military establishment of the two sides in order to reduce the prevailing atmosphere of distrust. They might also come up with a new and much larger target for bilateral trade as compared to the $20 billion target that is likely to be accomplished this year. Given an opportunity, China would be happy to play the middleman to settle the Indo-Pak disputes.
Although New Delhi is sensitive to any suggestion of this kind, Beijing would like to be consulted on any proposal for settling the Kashmir issue, sources said.
Both India and Pakistan have observer status in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is Chinaâs forum to build its influence in the region. Islamabad has been clamouring for being made a full member of the SCO but India has not been very keen about it. The entire Kashmir including areas under Indian and Pakistani jurisdiction, are shown as disputed areas in the Chinese map. It is not possible for China to re-draw the map on the Kashmir side until India and Pakistan reach a settlement that is acceptable to Beijing as well, Ma Jiali said. The Chinese president was keen on enlisting Indiaâs support on the issue of multi-polar world in order to weaken the stranglehold of the US on international matters including the Iran nuclear issue.
The bill passed in the US Senate contains a clause that empowers the United States government to stop nuclear supplies to India if it did not back US policies on Iran, it is pointed out.