Modi announces e-visa for Chinese tourists

 

• India, China seek early resolution to border dispute

 

Beijing, May 16, 2015: Ignoring the concerns of intelligence agencies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced extension of e-visa facility to Chinese tourists.

 

Modi, who held talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here, also pushed for clarifying the Line of Actual Control (LAC) without “prejudice to our (India’s) position on the boundary question”.

 

“A shadow of uncertainty always hangs over the sensitive areas of the border region as neither side knows where the LAC is,” the prime minister added.

 

At a joint media interaction, the prime minister asked Beijing to “reconsider its approach on some issues that hold us back”, an apparent reference to the long-pending boundary issue matters like stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh over which China lays claim.

 

Sources said Modi sent a clear and unambiguous message on the boundary issue, saying there was “no question of going back” and “standing still is also not an option”.

 

The two sides decided to increase the number of border meeting points of their military personnel from the existing four to six as they underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border was an “important guarantor” for the development and continued growth of ties.

 

The prime minister also announced operationalisation of a hotline between the two militaries. On the second day of his three-day visit, Modi discussed wide range of issues which also covered trade imbalance, terrorism, investment, climate change, UN reforms and coordination at the international level with Li during their 90-minute talk at the Great Hall of the People.

 

India and China also inked an agreement to establish a sisterly relation between Karnataka and Sichuan province in the South-West region of the communist country.

 

The joint statement said the Chinese side took note of India’s aspirations to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to strengthen global non-proliferation efforts.

 

India has been pushing hard to get into the four export control regimes.

 

The two sides signed 24 cooperation agreements covering railways, mining, education, space, quality supervision and inspection, films and television, ocean, earthquake science and between political parties and think tanks.

 

Modi and Li agreed that simultaneous re-emergence of India and China as two major powers in the region and the world offers a momentous opportunity for realisation of the “Asian Century”.

 

Both sides reiterated their strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and committed themselves to cooperate on counter-terrorism.

 

They called for early conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, added the statement.