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Wen: Patience needed to resolve boundary question

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-16 20:27

NEW DELHI -- The China-India boundary question is a "historical legacy" and its resolution requires patience, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech delivered Thursday at the Indian Council of World Affairs.

"It will not be easy to completely resolve this question. It requires patience and will take a fairly long period of time," Wen said.

"Only with sincerity, mutual trust and perseverance can we eventually find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution," he added.

Transborder rivers

 

Wen also said that "China takes seriously India's concern about the trans-border rivers, and we are ready to further improve the joint working mechanism."

"We will do whatever we can and do it even better," Wen said in a speech delivered at the Indian Council of World Affairs.

"I would like to assure our Indian friends that the upstream development activities by China will be based on scientific planning and study and will take into consideration the interests of both upstream and downstream," he added.

Cooperation

 

China and India agreed Thursday to regularize their exchange of high-level visits and inaugurate a package of other measures to enhance bilateral ties.

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Reflecting their strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, "the two sides decided to establish the mechanism of regular exchange of visits between Heads of State/Government," said a joint communique released after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two leaders welcomed the opening of the telephone hotline between the Chinese premier and Indian prime minister, and agreed on regular consultations on issues of importance to both sides, the document added.

Meanwhile, the two sides also endorsed the launching of a mechanism of annual exchange of visits between their foreign ministers, according to the joint communique.

In addition, the two Asian neighbors agreed to initiate a strategic economic dialogue to enhance macro-economic policy coordination, and pledged concerted efforts to expand exchange and cooperation in trade, education, culture, environmental protection among other fields.