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India, China discuss bilateral issues

India and China Friday discussed a whole range of bilateral issues, including the contentious border dispute, and underscored the need to move forward in further consolidating their ties.

The two sides spoke of the "attending concerns we have in regard to our unresolved problems," External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with the visiting Chinese leader Li Peng.

"It is a goodwill visit," Singh said when asked about the broad agenda for the talks Li, chairman of the standing committee of the National Peoples' Congress and second only to President Jiang Zemin, is having with Indian leaders.

"We spoke of the need to further promote good relations between the two great neighbours having ancient civilisations," Singh said.

The Chinese leader folded his hands saying "Namaste" and posed for photographers and the electronic media along with his wife Zhu Ling, but left with a smile and a wave of his hand without responding to questions.

Asked specifically whether the border dispute and Pakistan figured during the parleys, Singh said: "We discussed all our concerns."

Li, who is on a nine-day visit to India, later had a 20-minute meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi who was accompanied by Manmohan Singh and K Natwar Singh.

He will on Monday call on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who will return on Sunday from his week-long two-nation visit of Vietnam and Indonesia.

PTI

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