Director (PD)(Shri Bishwadip Dey): Good evening friends. As you are aware, Hon. Vice-President has just concluded his official visit to the People’s Republic of China. He is accompanied by hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry. Hon. Vice-President will make his opening remarks and would also take a few questions.
Hon. Vice-President: Friends, we spent four days in China starting with Xi’an and then three days in Beijing. The Beijing part of the visit was in two parts. One was participating in the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Panchsheel, and the second part was a bilateral visit to China for which an invitation had been extended early 2013.
As far as the Panchsheel part is concerned, you were all probably present in the Great Hall there when that ceremony took place. What was said by the three leaders is public record, so I do not have to amplify anything, where I have put across the point of view which has been our Indian point of view consistently.
The substance of the visit was in the bilateral visit. My host was the Vice President of China. This morning I had detailed discussions with him at the delegation level. Before that, yesterday I had a shorter meeting with the Prime Minister of China. And the last thing was this evening a call on His Excellency President Xi of China. I also was invited to deliver a lecture at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and I suppose copy of that lecture is available to you.
If I were to sum up the visit, I would say that our discussions were friendly, cordial and frank. We discussed all items on the bilateral agenda. We conveyed our views. We put it across to them that a relationship with China has been a consistent item of policy of Governments of India and continues to be an important item in the priorities of the new Government.
We do want to develop an all-round relationship between our two countries which will cover strategic cooperation, it will cover strategic economic cooperation, it will cover with greater intensity bilateral contacts at the cultural level and at the people-to-people level.
To each one of them the response was positive and very forthcoming. It was said to me again and again that China regards a relationship, a vibrant relationship with India, as a critical element in their policy. A number of agreements were signed during this visit.
An encyclopedia on cultural contacts between China and India was also released. That is a joint product of scholars on both sides. They have done a good piece of work. Much more needs to be done on this because I think we are not sufficiently aware of the contacts that we have had down the ages with each other.
We all know of one or two Chinese travelers who came to Nalanda, and we all know of one or two Buddhist monks who went from our side to China. But I think it has been a period in which there have been continuous exchanges. They were retarded or stopped during the colonial period. And we have no difficulty in resuming them, and the Chinese friends are equally keen on resuming.
You know, and I think you were all there at the Ambassador’s reception, the size of the Indian Community in China has expanded dramatically. From few thousands they have gone up to 40,000 to 45,000, we have 10,000 students there. This means that people are finding avenues for conducting their business, whatever that business might be, with certain degree of success.
Having said all that I would say we had a good visit, we had a productive visit, we had a visit in which gestures were made to us by our hosts. These were gestures of friendship. The Chinese leadership is keen to establish personal level contacts with our new leadership.
It was mentioned to me by President Xi that he was looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the forthcoming BRICS meeting. It was also hinted that sometime later this year the President of China would visit India. All in all I think we are on the right track and we hope to see positive developments in the bilateral relationship.
The hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry had a separate meeting with her Chinese counterpart this morning in which great deal of subjects of concern regarding bilateral trade were discussed.
Thank you.
Question: Sir, even as we …(Inaudible)… Panchsheel but the tensions between China and Vietnam in South China Sea …(Inaudible)… and also now we have heard reports of China commissioning a rail link with Pakistan which may have ramifications for India. What should be India’s stance in this …(Inaudible)…
Hon. Vice-President: Panchsheel is a set of normative principles to govern state behaviour. Like all normative principles, they are sometimes observed sometimes not observed, some may be observed by one set of people and violated by another set of people. But there is nothing intrinsically wrong in Panchsheel. And that is the reason why Panchsheel was adopted by the Afro-Asian Conference, by the Non-Aligned grouping, even in effect, if not in words, by the United Nations. So, Panchsheel is impeccable. There is nothing that you can quarrel about it. If somebody has violated this or that principle of Panchsheel, that is a separate matter.
Question: Sir, mere do savaal hain. Ek toh abhi aapne kaha ki BRICS meeting ke liye Chinese leader ko convey kiya gaya ki hum log utsuk hai unse baat karne ke liye. Is visit ke baad aapko lagta hai ki kuchh mahaul behatar hua hai, kuchh bade breakthrough ki ummeed hai BRICS mein jab aap unse sidelines par baat karenge? Aur dusra savaal yeh hai ki Chinese Academy of Social Studies mein aapse kuchh interesting savaal puchhe gaye. Kya aapne unko enjoy kiya? Yeh thode …(Inaudible)…
Hon. Vice-President: Jahan tak ki BRICS meeting ka savaal hai, aise jitne international gatherings hoti hain leaders ki vahaan bilateral meetings hoti hain. Har saal jab United Nations ke General Assembly ka session hota hai, toh us mein jitney logon ko mauqa milta hai interest ke mutabik voh ek dusre se bilateral meetings rakhte hain is liye ki it is one platform where it is easy to meet people instead of vahan par alag yatra karein. Toh BRICS mein jo baat-cheet hogi – Pradhan Mantri ki baat inse hogi, aur logon se bhi hogi – toh us mein koi ajeeb baat nahin hai. Yeh toh hona hai.
Question: Sir, mere do savaal hain aapse. Pehla savaal toh yeh hai ki aapne India-China Encyclopedia release kiya. Uski khasiyat kya hai, uske mayane kya hai, aur kitna time laga ismein, aur isko publicly kab release kiya jayega?
Hon. Vice-President: Yeh faisla Head of Government level par tai hua tha December 2010 mein. Uske baad scholars is par kaam karte rahe hain aur ab yeh formally release ho gayi hai, iska matlab yeh hai ki chhap gayi hai. Ab chhapne ke baad toh phir sirf distribution ka kaam reh jaata hai.
Question: Sir, bilateral talks mein doh aise mudde thei jinpar charcha hone ki sambhavna thi aur aap behatar bataayenge. Pehla trade imbalance ka mudda tha, aur dusra border aggression ka mudda bahut lambe samay se chala aa raha hai. Kya hum ummed karein ki is vishay par bilateral talks mein koi baat hui?
Hon. Vice-President: Bilateral talks mein jitney mudde hain bilateral agenda par, sab par discussion hua hai. Trade ke upar main ne bhi kaafi der baat ki, Mantriji ne alag baat ki. Humne unse seedhi baat kahi ki dekhiye hamaara trade toh bahut bada hai magar usmein itna imbalance hai ki voh is tarah se kaam nahin chal sakti hai. Aur uske doh hi tareeqe hain. Ya to yeh ki hum apna export badhayein, ya voh apna investment hamaare desh mein badhayein. Toh unka response joh tha voh theek tha, kuchh cheezein hain jinpar voh study karna chahte hain. Complicated subject hai, technical subject hai, ismein expert level par baate hongi.
Border ka savaal aaj se nahin bahut dinon se chal raha hai. Joh positive cheez hai voh yeh hai ki 1993 se pichhle saal tak dheere-dheere donon sarkaron ne kuchh agreements kiye hain jinke doh objectives thei. Ek ki border par behaviour correct ho, matlab yeh ki baat aage nahin badhe. Dusre, pichhle chaar-paanch saalon mein, 2003 se, Vajpayeeji ki sarkar ne ek agreement sign kiya tha aur phir baad mein Dr. Manmohan Singhji ke government ne usko elaborate kiya tha ki ek set of principles honge. Jab jhagda hai aur mujhmein aur aap mein baat ho rahi jhagda tai karne ki toh pehla savaal yeh hota hai ki kis basis par tai hoga. Toh uske liye donon sarkaron ne ek framework banaaya hai ki kis framework mein yeh cheez tai hongi, iske liye donon sarkaron ke Special Representatives hain joh ki baraabar milte hain. Aur voh baat dheere-dheere aage badh rahi hai.
Question: Aapki vaarta ke dauran Chinese leadership ki pratikriya kya thi is mudde par?
Hon. Vice-President: Theek tha. Unko is par koyi aitraz nahin hai isliye ki voh is mein equal participant hai. Jitne hamaari baat-cheet hoti hai, voh unhi ke saath toh hoti hai, kisi dusre ke saath toh nahin hoti. Dheere-dheere, inch by inch we are moving forward.
Question: Sir, when can we expect Mr. Modi’s visit to China?
Hon. Vice-President: Iska mujhe koi ilm nahin hai, main kaise aapko javaab dun? Magar unko invite zaroor kiya gaya hai. Unko bhi invite kiya Cheen ke Rashtrapati ne, aur unhonne hamaare Rashtrapatiji ko bhi invite kiya hai. Yeh toh exchanges chalengi. Is mein koi taajjub ki baat nahin. Pehle bhi Pratibha Patilji jab Rashtrapati thin toh voh China aayi theen. Pradhan Mantri hamaare bhi gaye, unke bhi aaye. Toh yeh exchanges chalengi.
Question: Sir, yesterday you mentioned that we have to live with our neighbours, we cannot choose our neighbours …(Inaudible)… Now do you think India has been unwise?
Hon. Vice-President: No, India has not been unwise. But I did not say that India has been unwise. No, India has not been unwise because the neighbourhood is a fact. It is a reality. There are two things you cannot choose. You cannot choose your neighbours, you cannot choose your relatives. They are there for good or not so good. Jab padosi hain, toh padosi ke saath ya toh milke rahiye ya ladayi-jhagda karke rahiye. Toh zaahiri baat hai koi ladaayi-jhagde ko toh prefer nahin karega.
Milke rahiye. Padosiyon se jhagde hote hain. Parivaron mein bhi jhagde hote hain toh jhagdon ka solution talaash karte hain. Hamaari sarkar mein itni capacity hai aur hamein poora vishvaas hai ki unmein bhi itni capacity hai ki voh jhagdon ka sahi solution nikaalenge, aise solution joh ki donon taraf fair hogi.
Question: Bharat ke kayi udyogpati Cheen mein bada udyog aur vyapar lagaaye hue hain. Par unka kehna tha ki Bharat mein udyog dhanda lagaana bada mushkil kaam hai, vahan kaanun bahut sakht hai. Kya sarkar koi single-window unke liye karegi taaki voh dobaara se Bharat aakar udyog dhanda lagaane ke baare mein soch sakein?
Hon. Vice-President: Is par aapne government ke bahut se announcements dekhe honge ki foreign investment ke liye procedures simplify kiye jayenge. Arun Jaitleyji ne bhi is par bayaan diya hai, aur logon ne bhi diya hai. Toh thehar jayiye, jab ek hafte mein Budget pesh kiya jayega toh us mein ye nayi nitiyon par koyi na koyi announcement ho sakta hai.
Question: Sir, if China gets ready to set up industrial parks …(Inaudible)…
Hon. Vice-President: We have signed an MoU today for setting up an industrial park. Details will be worked out because they have to, in consultation with our States Governments, decide on a site. Whether they want to do it North, South, East West, wherever they choose we make the facility available. That would depend on the State Government concerned.
Thank you very much.
(Concluded)
