Controlling rifts must for mutual trust, Xi to Modi

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the two countries should build mutual trust by “controlling their differences” and strengthen cooperation between the two Asian giants.
Xi hosted PM Modi in his ancestral hometown at the start ofthe Indian prime minister’s three-day visit to China on Thursday, as the two countries worked to boost economic ties despite decades of mistrust, NDTV reported.
“We must work together to enhance mutual trust, control our differences and problems to avoid them interfering with bilateral relations,” Xi was quoted as telling PM Modi, according to a statement late on Thursday on China’s foreign ministry’s website.
India’s foreign secretary S Jaishankar described the over 90 minutes of talks between the two Asian leaders at the Shaanxi Guest House as “very substantive and the atmosphere was very comfortable”.
China’s statement said President Xi urged PM Modi to strengthen coordination on global and regional affairs and “work together to promote the international order in a more just and fair direction”.
To enhance what he called the “national rejuvenation” of both China and India, Xi urged cooperation in areas including railways, industrial parks, urbanisation and training. He pledged to encourage Chinese companies to invest in India.
“The two sides should follow the historical trend and realise the strategic needs for our national rejuvenation to build a closer partnership for development,” Xi told Modi.President Xi’s comments are part of a broad push to invoke nationalistic themes to win public support and legitimacy as he seeks to boost China’s role as a bigger player in international politics.
Xi said China was willing to work with India to “promote regional peace, stability and prosperity” in South Asia.Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds from Islamabad:

After voicing concern over China’s investments in Azad Kashmir on the opening day of his visit to China on Thursday, the Indian prime minister on on Friday again asked Beijing to reconsider its approach on some of the issues and take a strategic and long term view to push the relationship which has been complex in recent decades.
According to media reports, Modi, who held wide-ranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing, sought tangible progress on issues relating to visa, an apparent reference to stapled visas issued by China to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, as he underlined that the two countries need to be sensitive to each other’s interests.
The statement comes a day after Modi raised concern with President Xi during their talks over China’s $46 billion proposed investment in Pakistan.
Modi said the two countries had a historic responsibility to turn this relationship into a source of strength for each other and a force of good for the world. On the vexed boundary question, Modi said the two sides agreed to continue to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually-acceptable resolution. “We both reiterated our strong commitment to make all efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border region,” he said.
The Indian prime minister said during his talks with Premier Li, he also reiterated the importance of clarification of the Line of Actual Control. China claims the border dispute is confined only to 2,000 km mostly in Arunachal Pradesh whereas India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 kms, especially the Aksai Chin area ceded to China by Pakistan. He stressed the need for strengthening mutual trust and confidence while seeking solutions to outstanding issues.
On his part, Premier Li acknowledged that there were differences between the two sides on the border issue and said the two countries need to uphold peace and tranquillity. “We do not deny that there are some disagreements between us but there is a mechanism and sufficient political maturity to address them,” he said. “We stand ready to work with India to bring the China-India relations to new heights,” he said, adding both the countries need to seize the opportunities to play a bigger role in Asia and beyond.
Li said China and India are two important countries for the establishment of a multi-polar world. “I stressed the need for China to reconsider its approach on some of the issues that hold us back from realising full potential of our partnership. I suggested that China should take a strategic and long term view of our relations,” Modi said. Modi said President Xi and Premier Li were very receptive to the specific concerns he had raised on the growing trade deficit, which is in favour of China to the tune of $38 billion.