Chinese PM Wen's packed 3-day India visit

A host of security and strategic issues, including India's concerns over stapled visa to residents of Jammu and Kashmir will be raised by the leadership in New Delhi with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao when he visits the country from December 15.

Activities of Chinese firms in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, increasing military sales to Pakistan and the China-Pak civil nuclear co-operation are some of the other concerns which are expected to figure in the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Wen during his three-day visit.

Significantly, Wen will also be travelling to Pakistan after his visit to India.

Dr Singh had sent a clear signal to Beijing during his meeting with Wen on the margins of ASEAN when he stated that both parties "need to show sensitivity to each other's core issues".

The External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday issued a brief release, which said, "At the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Wen Jiabao, will pay a State visit to India from 15 to 17 December 2010."

Ahead of the visit, both countries have tried their best to prepare a well-knitted ground for open talks and held the 14th round of the Special Representatives-level talks on the boundary issue in Beijing in the last week of November.

The visit will also help India to get some clarity in the Chinese position on a range of bilateral issues related to the boundary and stamped visa for residents of J-K and the emerging concerns over water.

India has hoped that China realises the need to show more sensitivity on these core concerns that impinge on the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Two other strategic issues that are important from India's perspective are the planned Sino-Pakistani rail line from Xinjiang to PoK and reported Chinese investments in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.