The Hindu : Front Page : Border row not insurmountable: Li

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 07, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Border row not insurmountable: Li

Pallavi Aiyar

Beijing: The boundary dispute between India and China was a problem imposed on the people of both countries by "western colonialists" at a time when the nations were not "masters of their own homes," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said here on Tuesday.

Mr. Li was speaking at a press conference, held on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament.

To a question raised by The Hindu , Mr. Li said he believed China and India had the "wisdom and capability" to find a solution to the border issue, "a problem that was left over from history."

He said he was confident that a mutually acceptable solution could be found as "long as both sides have the larger interests of their countries in mind."

Favourable conditions

Mr. Li said the evolving strategic and cooperative partnership had created favourable conditions for an early resolution of the dispute.

Visit to Nalanda

He also spoke about his recent visit to India, particularly to Nalanda where he attended the inauguration of a renovated Xuan Zang (Hieun Tsang) memorial.

Xuan Zang, a 7th Century AD Chinese monk, spent 16 years travelling across India in search of deeper knowledge of Buddhist doctrine.

Mr. Li described Nalanda as a place that was a "dream" of every Chinese to visit. Being in the city made him feel as though he were back in primary school.

"I felt I was a student who needed to work hard at his homework," he said.

Nalanda, the site of a celebrated ancient university, was historically a major centre of Buddhist knowledge, a religion that was to have a profound influence on the Chinese civilisation.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page