China and India should work together to build "a world of positive externalities and mutual prosperity, rather than one based on balance of power calculations and animosity", visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday in a speech that unveiled his vision for China-India relations.
"This involves India and China working together closely to ensure a global order in which our simultaneous development will have a positive influence not only on our own economies but also on the rest of the world," Singh said in a speech, broadcast live on TV, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the top think-tank.
He said China and India should be "at the forefront" of solving global issues ranging from United Nations reform to WTO negotiations and from climate change to exploration of new energy.
"Today's international institutions, like the UN Security Council, no longer reflect reality and must be democratized," Singh said.
He also said India would seek cooperation with China and the international community on exploration of new energy sources, including nuclear power.
In a joint statement signed by Premier Wen Jiabao and Singh on Monday, both sides agreed to push forward with their strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation on issues including UN Security Council reform, climate change, energy safety, and regional economic integration.
The document said China understands and supports India's aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations, including the Security Council.
In the document, the two sides also pledged to promote bilateral cooperation in civilian nuclear energy in line with their respective international commitments.
While pursuing a better future, China and India "have to put behind us disputes and problems that have troubled us in the past," Singh said in the speech, referring to the lingering border disputes.
He said he is confident there will be a mutually satisfactory solution as special representatives from the two countries are working under mutually agreed guiding principles.
"The boundary between us is peaceful. We are both determined to keep it so ," he said.
Singh lauded China's economic growth, saying it has also stimulated changes in India.
"India is changing and I would like to acknowledge that the success of China has been a stimulus to change," he said.
India has enjoyed a yearly economic growth of more than 8.5 percent on average over the past five years. New Delhi recently approved a new five-year development plan aiming to hike growth to 10 percent by 2010.
Singh said his administration has yet to address a host of issues including imbalances in regional development, limitation of land resources and lack of jobs for surplus rural laborers, in order to achieve "inclusive growth".
"It is somewhat similar to what is called 'harmonious growth' in China," Singh said.
Zhang Yuyan, director of the Insitute of Asia-Pacific Studies of CASS, said he was impressed by Singh's vision of bilateral relations in a global context.
"Obviously, the prime minister had thoroughly deliberated on the problems China and India have and the room for cooperation," he said.
"Noticeably, he did not avoid touching the boundary issue but displayed a reasonable approach, and I think this is a sign that China-India relations are getting mature."
In a meeting later yesterday, President Hu Jintao congratulated Singh on the success of his maiden trip to China as Indian prime minister, which ended yesterday.
Source: China Daily
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article