Milestone in Indo - China ties.

India, China to work together on projects in other countries

BEIJING: Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi indicated on Sunday that China and India were focusing on a rapid expansion in business collaboration in order to strengthen the feel-good factor that would help them tackle several irritants that lie in the way of a sound and stable relationship. The two countries have largely enhanced mutual political trust and were looking forward to a stronger bonding, he said.

Emerging out of a long meeting with NSA Shivshankar Menon, Yang said the discussions went ''very, very well with the two sides making a tour of the whole horizon of bilateral relationship''. He particularly emphasized the need to intensify the process of business connectivity and joint work by the two countries on international platforms like G20 and global talks on climate change.

''We even talked about the possibility of cooperating in certain subjects in other countries, whether three-party or four-party collaborative projects in the economic field as well,'' Yang said in English without interpreters, which is rare in itself. He did not specify the nature of possible joint collaboration. India and China have earlier worked together in some energy projects in third countries.

''China attaches great importance to this relationship. I think we have really enhanced our mutual political trust. If you look at the G20 or BRIC meetings, we actually work very closely together to push forward a common cause, that is to serve the interests of our respective people,'' Yang said.

Menon said he shared the same views as Yang, but did not elaborate. He attended a dinner hosted by Dai Bingguo, senior councillor and China's special representative in the border talks with India, and is scheduled to meet premier Wen Jiabao on Monday. Yang said China was taking the visit by the Chinese-speaking Menon — the third high-level visit from the Indian side in three months after foreign minister S M Krishna and President Pratibha Patil — very seriously while describing him as an old and close friend.

During the visit, Menon is expected to work out possible dates for the next round of border talks with China and also discuss Beijing's plans to sell two nuclear reactors to Pakistan during the visit of its president, Asif Ali Zardari, from July 6.