New Delhi: Amid differences with India over Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a delegation of Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders on Wednesday held talks with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to soothe ties that are under stress over a host of issues.
Liu Qibao, member of the powerful CPC Central Committee, discussed a range of bilateral issues with Krishna, including trade and investment and cooperation in disaster mitigation.
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Liu, chief of the CPC's Sichuan Provincial Committee, is heading a six-member delegation that includes Sichuan Provincial Committee's deputy secretary general Chen Yonggang.
Drawing attention to burgeoning bilateral economic ties, the Chinese leaders conveyed their interest in scaling up trade and investment with India. Bilateral trade has surpassed $52 billion.
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The visit of the Chinese delegation comes at a time of sharp exchange of words between the two sides over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and other sensitive issues like China's involvement in projects in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Conveying its "strong dissatisfaction" with India, China on Tuesday accused New Delhi of "disregarding the solemn position of China" in allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing regards as part of what it calls "south Tibet."
A recent report published in China's state-run newspaper Global Times said in a threatening tone that India seems to have forgotten the lesson of the 1962 war. "India may have forgotten the lesson of 1962, when its repeated provocation resulted in military clashes. India is on this wrong track again," it said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor dismissed the report as a "bit silly" and underlined that "such language" will not help bilateral ties.
Images: Dalai Lama gets a touching welcome at Tawang
He also pointed out that the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh was on his own initiative, and underlined that the Indian government had nothing to do with it.
