India, China To Hold Border Dispute Resolution Talks

India, China To Hold Border Dispute Resolution Talks
India and China Friday held talks on a wide range of bilateral issues and will resume formal negotiations on resolving the border row in the serene environs of Coonoor in Tamil Nadu Saturday.Chinese Special Representative Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo -- Beijing's chief pointsman for the border talks with New Delhi -- met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday and discussed with them a wide swathe of bilateral and global issues.Discussions focused on deepening strategic ties and intensifying trade and investment with a view to achieving the bilateral trade target of $40 billion by 2010, official sources said. The two sides also discussed Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing that likely in September. Dai met National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan, India's Special Representative for border talks, who hosted lunch for him.Dai and Narayanan will head to the tranquil and picturesque Coonoor and the nearby Ooty botanical gardens Saturday for the 10th round of talks on resolving the boundary dispute that has shadowed ties between India and China for over four decades.Border talks between the Asian powers appear to be at an advanced stage and are now often held away from the din of the Indian capital. A brainchild of Narayanan, the two countries had earlier held border talks in the famed Kerala resort of Kumarakom and then again in the backdrop of the erotic temple sculptures of Khajuraho.Dai also met former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra who shepherded border talks when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was in power. The two countries have recently stressed on 'greater vigour and innovativeness' in resolving the boundary question which they declared the chief strategic objective of their burgeoning relations.The focus of the talks will be on clinching a framework agreement as a prelude to a final package deal to resolve this contentious issue. The two special representatives last met here in January and decided to continue their talks based on guiding principles and political parameters for resolving the boundary dispute finalised during the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in 2005.