India, China to resume dialogue on non-proliferation

Moscow, April 13 (IANS) In an important trust-building step, India and China Friday decided to resume their bilateral dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation. The two rising Asian powers also pressed for an early meeting to firm up the contours of their proposed maritime dialogue.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna held wide-ranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the Russia-India-China trilateral meet in the Russian capital. The talks lasted for an hour and covered a slew of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, official sources said.

In an important step to build greater trust, India and China also agreed to resume their dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation, the sources said.

The two leaders also stressed the need for an early meeting on their maritime dialogue, the sources said. The decision to start a dialogue was taken when Yang came to New Delhi early March.

Building upon their talks on the margins of the BRICS summit in New Delhi March 29, the two ministers felt that the contours of the dialogues on Central Asia, West Asia and Africa should be finalised soon, said the sources.

The discussions on regional and international issues has become a trend in India-China relations, with both sides setting premium on close consultations with each other on issues ranging from climate change to multilateral trade negotiations.

There was a wide-ranging discussion on various issues which are on the agenda of the Security Council, including on Syria and North Korea's launch of a rocket in defiance of its international obligations. They agreed that it was important for the Permanent Missions in New York to work together on these issues in the next few days, the sources said.

The two ministers also decided to further accelerate bilateral trade and investment, with the Chinese foreign minister assuring that Beijing will encourage investment in infrastructure projects in India.

In this context, Krishna took up the issue of the Indian traders in Shanghai who are involved in a commercial dispute in Yiwu and pressed for "a speedy and satisfactory resolution," official sources said.

The two Indian traders - Deepak Raheja and Shyam Sunder Agrawal - are currently stuck in China due to a commercial dispute.

Yang assured that he takes India's concern "seriously" and recalled that the matter had been raised with him earlier too.

The two ministers also decided to keep the momentum of bilateral cooperation in the year of India-China Friendship and Cooperation, with Yang inviting Krishna to visit China.