China ready to accommodate India's UNSC demand

BEIJING: China has indicated that it was prepared to look at India's case for membership of the United Nations Security Council in a more accommodating way. Beijing has had reservations for a long time over India's attempt to join the Security Council along with Japan, partly because of its opposition to giving Japan a bigger role to play in the world body.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Monday told Pranab Mukherjee, his Indian counterpart that China wished to develop "a strategic partnership" with India as part of its long-term goals. The two leaders met in New York, when Yang suggested that the two countries handle bilateral relations from a strategic and a long-term perspective, Xinhua reports.

The official agency also quoted Yang as saying that the two nations should maintain high-level exchanges, conduct regular security and "properly handle" the border issue. He also stressed the need for strengthening coordination between the two countries in United Nations and other major international matters, and constantly advance bilateral relations.

It quoted Mukherjee as saying that the India-China ties have developed rapidly owing to exchanges of high-level visits from both sides. It also quoted Mukherjee as saying that New Delhi will soon open a tourism office in Beijing in 2007.

The Indian minister said that New Delhi was keen to work with Beijing on major international and regional affairs as part of a programme aimed at developing strategic partnership of cooperation, Xinhua said.








source:TOI