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Jiang Zemin seeks 'constructive partnership'

Nikhil Lakshman in Beijing

"From a strategic height we must continue to work for a constructive partnership of co-operation in the 21st century," President Jiang Zemin told President K R Narayanan at their summit in Beijing on Monday morning.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin (L) escorts his Indian counterpart Kocheril Narayanan past a Chinese guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on Monday. AFP PHOTO/Stephen Shaver

The first Sino-India Presidential summit in nearly four years was held in a "warm and friendly atmosphere," Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh told the media after the talks. "The personal chemistry was evident as the talks proceeded. President Jiang made frequent departures from the prepared text and spoke in English," the foreign secretary added.

The meeting went beyond the scheduled two hours, with both Presidents animatedly discussing issues of bilateral and multilateral importance for another 30 minutes.

Jiang emphasised repeatedly Narayanan's special status in China, describing him as an old friend of his country, referring to his role as ambassador when India and China normalised relations for the first time after the 1962 war, and, of course, how he had worked towards improving the bilateral relationship.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin (L) escorts President Narayanan past a Chinese guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Monday. AFP PHOTO/Stephen Shaver

In a country where appearances can often convey much meaning, Foreign Minister Tang Jixuan attended the discussions. Usually, in China, the foreign minister is absent from such encounters if the other delegation does not have his counterpart

Earlier, guns boomed across Tianenmen Square as Jiang greeted Narayanan at the forecourt of the Great Hall of the People. The President and First Lady were greeted by the Chinese President, Vice Premier Qian Qiachen (a former foreign minister who is in charge of foreign affairs), Foreign Minister Tang and Jiang Xheng Hua, vice-chairman of the National People's Congress. Vice-chairman Jiang is a former alumnus of the School of Population Studies, Bombay.

Though ministry of external affairs officials would not confirm if Jiang and Narayanan discussed the border issue, it is understood that the Indian President referred to the two agreements of the past and the 12 Joint Working Group meetings held so far, and emphasised the need to accelerate the process of delineating the Line of Actual Control. The Chinese and Indian Expert Groups are to meet in five months time with their respective cartographers and maps to debate the 40-year-old border issue.

In response, Jiang referred to disputes left over by history, but he said the differences must be resolved by patience, when the conditions are right.

"It is true that problems have been left to us by history," Narayayan is reported to have told Jiang. "But these problems should be resolved and not left again to history. This is not a problem we should bequeath future generations." "They must be resolved in a spirit of mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and mutual adjustment," Jiang said.

Presidents Jiang Zemin and Narayanan share a lighter moment during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on Monday. AFP PHOTO/Stephen Shaver

The President gave his Chinese counterpart an expose of India's relations with Pakistan, specifically mentioning how Islamabad's support for terrorism had become a menace to the new world order. While Jiang indicated that his government opposed all forms of terrorism - "there is no justification for terrorism for political goals" - and mentioned the need that all countries should get together to fight terrorism, he predictably did not mention Pakistan by name.

If India raised the issue of Pakistan, sources indicated that the Chinese leader brought up the issue of the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa Lama, hoping that India would not encourage the Dalai Lama's political activities and expressing the apprehension that anti-Chinese groups may exploit his presence in India.

Narayanan is believed to have assured Jiang that his government considered the Dalai Lama as a religious, not a political, leader, and that the Karmapa Lama would not be permitted to engage in political activities.

The President in China

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