Krishna arrives in Beijing for 'comprehensive' talks

K J M Varma
Beijing, Apr 5 (PTI) Indian External Affairs Minister
S M Krishna arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to hold
"comprehensive" talks with top Chinese leaders on a gamut of
issues including issuance of stapled visas by Beijing and
"illegal" construction in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Billed as a visit aimed at consolidation of the much
improved Sino-Indian ties after last year's spat on Arunachal
Pradesh, Krishna on his arrival was received at the Beijing
airport by Chinese protocol officials and Indian Ambassador to
China, S Jaishankar and other senior Indian diplomats.
His official engagements here would begin on Tuesday
with an address at the China Institute of International
Studies, (CIIS) on Sino-Indian relations in the 21st century.
He would later attend a civic reception in the evening here.
On April 7 he would hold talks with Chinese Foreign
Minister, Yang Jiechi followed by call on meeting with Chinese
Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao.
Later he would kick off the celebrations to mark the
60th year of diplomatic relations at a function at the
Forbidden City Concert Hall in the historic city where the
famous playwright and theatre director from Manipur, Ratan
Thiyam would present a play on Emperor Ashoka.
Indian officials said the visit was aimed at
consolidating the bilateral relation which were improving
after last year’s tensions arising out of spate of reports of
border incursions by Chinese troops, Chinese statements on
Arunachal Pradesh followed by India-based Tibetan leader Dalai
Lama’s visit there.
Krishna’s talks with Yang was expected to cover
political, trade and strategic issues.
He was expected to discuss India’s concerns relating
to terrorism, lack of progress on talks to demarcate the
borders, issuance of visas on separate paper by China for the
residents of Jammu and Kashmir, projects undertaken by China
in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, (POK) and China’s stand on
India’s aspiration to become permanent member of the UN
Security Council (UNSC). PTI KJV
MYR