New Delhi : Within days of US president Barak Obama’s highly successful three-day visit to India, which caused much heartburn in China and Pakistan, union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has been able to administer the much needed balm in Beijing. That, in turn, has paved the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May. The visit was officially confirmed by MEA sources on Sunday.
The visit is expected to put at rest concerns in China arising out of US President Barack Obama’s second visit to India.
The key concern for India has been that even as it gets closer to America, it does not wish to antagonize its neighbours, especially China, with which India has established deep economic linkages. As union home minister Rajnath Singh said recently: “India wishes good relations with its neighbours, be it China or Pakistan and they shouldn’t be worried.”
During Obama’s visit to New Delhi, Modi had pledged to move in tandem with the US in the South China Sea, giving rise to misgivings in Beijing regarding this ‘Look East’ template of the Modi government. Modi’s recent visits to Japan and Australia were also seen to be a part of this American quadrilateral initiative.
The Chinese president Xi Jinping came on a high profile visit to India last September and though there were plenty of photo-ops with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the trip was overshadowed with the incursion of Chinese troops into Indian territory.
Modi as Gujarat chief minister had visited China multiple times and built a rapport with the ruling Communist Party leadership. The prime minister has already had three successful meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most important being during President Xi’s visit to India in September last year.
He also had an occasion to interact with Premier Li Keqiang. Sushma’s brief was essentially to set the stage for Modi’s visit. “We expect that the momentum that has been set in the last few months would not only pick up but accelerated further at various levels,” she said.
Sushma was significantly visiting the People’s Republic of China during the 13th Russia-India-China Trilateral. So the trip has also offered her an opportunity of meeting Russian Foreign Minister Mr. Sergei Lavrov.
According to official sources, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who is also the designated special representative for holding talks with the Chinese counterparts on the nitty-gritty of the boundary dispute, is also expected to visit Beijing soon. Also on the menu would be the rise in Islamic insurgency in pockets on China-Pakistan border that runs through PoK. There is a convergence between India and China in this matter.
PM MAY BE ON BUS TO KAILASH, MANSAROVAR
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, ever since she assumed office last year, has focussed on opening an additional route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra for which preparations are on. “It is a big thing,” she said. The route is expected to facilitate travel to Kailash-Manasarovar directly by buses. It will be no surprise if Modi’s visit to China in May coincides with opening of this alternate road route. If that happens, Modi could be on board the first bus to the Hindu pilgrimage site. Xi is also expected to take Modi to Xian, capital of his home province Shaanxi, to recreate the bonhomie generated by Modi who had taken the Chinese President to Ahmedabad.
