Border row put aside as Indian foreign minister arrives in Beijing
With a three-week Himalayan stand-off over, Salman Khurshid keen to shore up co-operation
Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid kicked off his two-day visit to China yesterday, laying the groundwork for the Chinese premier to visit India.
Khurshid held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and today will meet Premier Li Keqiang, who is due to visit India on May 20.
Khurshid's trip came after Sunday's end to a three-week stand-off over a disputed area in the Himalayas, with both sides pulling back troops.
India said Chinese troops intruded into its territory and pitched tents in the Depsang Valley in Ladakh, Kashmir. Beijing denied the accusation.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said leaders of the two nations would exchange views on ties and co-operation on international affairs. "We are willing to take a constructive … attitude, and utilise the existing mechanism to maintain constant communication for keeping the peace and stability of the border area."
Sun Shihai, an expert in South Asia affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said neither nation would let the border disputes derail ties but it was unlikely they would fully see eye to eye on the dispute.