INDIA and China would look for “practical, pragmatic” measures to end border disputes which took the two countries to war in 1962, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said.
Dr Singh, who met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on Friday (October 29) at a regional summit in Hanoi, also said the two Asian giants must ensure “peace and tranquility” on their militarised border.
“We reaffirmed the two countries’ resolve to find a practical, pragmatic and mutually satisfactory solution to the border problem,” Dr Singh told reporters late Saturday (October 30) on his way back from a tour of Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The two neighbours have disputed territory in Kashmir and along the border between Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet.
Improved economic ties and many rounds of talks have left the border disputes unresolved since the brief but bloody 1962 war.
In Hanoi, Wen told Dr Singh that the two nations should “steadily ensure friendship” and “increase mutual trust in politics”, according to China’s foreign ministry website.
India remains wary of China’s growing presence in South Asia, including investments in ports in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The two fast-developing economies are also in a race to strengthen their presence in Africa with joint ventures, investments and oil projects.
