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| Wednesday, 30 June 2004 |
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Strong India-China ties could increase global clout: Indian FM NEW DELHI, Tuesday (AFP) Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh called for a strengthening of ties between New Delhi and Beijing, saying that together the two countries could play an increasingly important role worldwide. "The fulcrum of political and economic activity in the world is shifting towards Asia. It is widely acknowledged that the future of Asia cannot be delinked from the future of India and China," Singh said. "It is both logical and in the enlightened self-interest of the two countries to cooperate and build on what is common," he told a function marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of the five diplomatic principles, known as Panchsheel, governing their ties. The diplomatic principles, jointly initiated by India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in 1954, includes mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. India and China have not always had easy relations and were involved in a fully-fledged border war in 1962. But growing trade between the giant economies in the 1990s led to warming ties and they have played down their territorial dispute to focus on improving commercial and other relations. In June, India and China appointed special envoys to solve the border issue. "India's relations with China are in the process of further diversification and development. We have agreed at the highest level to move ahead in diverse areas of cooperation," Singh said. He said that while he was attending an Asian summit in Beijing earlier this month, China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing had expressed his government's desire to deepen ties with India. "I also told him that the new government in India will continue the process of normalising, strengthening and expanding our relations with China," he added. |
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