BEIJING: Although India and China concluded a series of agreements on Wednesday, there were attempts to stall decisions on some select issues by both governments.
China made no specific commitments on two major issues – stapled visas and trade imbalance. It inked an agreement with India on improved communication on the Brahmaputra river dispute but refused to promise it would not build major dams that can endanger India’s northeastern states. It has not even agreed to share details about dams it has planned or are under construction on the river.
India sought more time to study the plan for an economic corridor connecting China with India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Beijing has been pushing its neighbors for this corridor and another one connecting it to Central Asia and Pakistan on its western border to enhance exports.
India indicated it was agreeable to Beijing’s request to allow its businesses to establish infrastructure parks in India. But it wanted to carefully examine the issues instead of diving into an agreement at this stage.
“We are taking forward the suggestion made by premier Li for a Chinese industrial park to act as a magnet for Chinese investments in India,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a joint press conference with the Chinese premier.
But there is no formal agreement on the issue suggesting that India wants to look at the proposal more carefully after suitable sites for the parks are identified.
Source: TOI
