SANYA, China, (Reuters) – India and China have agreed to restore defence ties and will exchange visits by their top leaders as well as take steps to enhance their balance of trade, India’s National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon said yesterday.
The two will also set up a consultation mechanism for a long-running border dispute, Menon said, in a sign that the Asian giants are willing to sidestep contentious issues to align with each other on global platforms like the G20.
India and China suspended military ties last year after Beijing denied a visa to an Indian army general from disputed Kashmir. India also has broad suspicions about China’s close relationship with Pakistan.
But Menon described a 50-minute meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao ahead of a summit of emerging powers in the southern Chinese resort of Sanya as “very productive, warm, friendly”. The two sides reached in principle agreement on establishing a “working mechanism for consultation and coordination on border affairs,” he added.
“This will handle important border affairs relating to maintaining peace and tranquility,” Menon said, though he added that “in practice it is one of the most peaceful borders that we have.”
