New Delhi:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Chinese premier Li Keqiang will hold formal talks in New Delhi today on key international, regional, and bilateral issues and a joint statement is expected after the talks.
But the two leaders have already held substantive discussions for over an hour before dinner last night. Government sources told NDTV that Dr Singh, in a "firm, upfront and constructive" manner, raised India's boundary concerns with the Chinese premier and said that without maintaining peace at the border, the relationship between the two countries will suffer.
Only a month before the Mr Li's visit, a Chinese platoon had set up camp in Ladakh, deep inside Indian territory and refused to vacate the spot despite hectic military and diplomatic negotiations. The 20-day border stand-off, which began on April 15, ended only on May 5.
Sources said today's joint statement is expected to address how the boundary issue will move forward. Sources also say India wants to push for early talks between special representatives of the two countries on this.
The meeting last evening, which was to have been a 30-minute discussion but extended to an hour, was held soon after Mr Li landed in New Delhi. Dr Singh also raised India's concern on water with him.
Mr Li raised the Tibet issue and India said the Dalai Lama is a respected spiritual and religious leader and also conveyed that Tibetans are not allowed to conduct any political activity, the sources said.
The Prime Minister later hosted dinner for the visiting dignitary, who is on a three-day trip to India. The dinner, at Dr Singh's 7 Race Course Road official residence, was attended by members of major political parties, including the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, and Prakash Karat of the CPI(M). Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi were also present.
"Everything is on the table," Joint Secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale said when asked about the issues to be discussed between the leaders of the two countries, who are witnessing differences on various crucial matters including boundary, waters, and market access.
Mr Li is visiting India nearly 27 years after he made his last trip here. This is his first overseas official visit after assuming office in March.