Saturday, August 28, 2010

Visa row: India reads out riot act to Chinese envoy

NEW DELHI: India summoned the Chinese ambassador on Friday and has refused to allow visits of two Chinese military officials to protest against Beijing\'s refusal of a visa to a general in the Indian Army.



The discussion came after India, as reported by TOI on Friday, cancelled defence exchanges to protest against China refusing to allow the visit of an Indian Army general on the ground that his jurisdiction included \"disputed\" J&K. In a tit-for-tat response, India refused to allow the visits of two captain-level Chinese officers to Pachmarhi, and one colonel-level officer to National Defence College.



India was also cold to China\'s fence-mending bid by offering to send a colonel-level official to New Delhi for talks with joint secretary (international cooperation) in the defence ministry. With passions running high, there was no certainty that the government would allow the visit scheduled for September 7.



Chinese ambassador Zhang Yan met joint secretary (east Asia) Gautam Bambawale in the foreign office to discuss the issue against the backdrop of outrage in India over the the provocation and Beijing\'s anxiety to de-escalate tensions. The message India gave was that China was solely responsible for the current fracas and that the onus of untying the knot rested with it, said sources.



With the Congress and the BJP joining hands to lambast China over the refusal of visa to Lt General B S Jaswal, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Area Command, government made it clear that it was not going to let go of Beijing\'s latest effort to meddle in J&K. \"The defence minister has taken a strong view. Talks on the issue will go on,\" minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur said.



Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari reacted to the report in TOI by saying that the Chinse envoy should be summoned by the government and be told of the resentment its action has generated.



CPM, known for its sympathetic views on China, refused to react, arguing that there was no official word on the issue yet.



The BJP, however, came out strongly against China. Party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar said, \"We must strongly condemn the Chinese on the issue. It is the worst kind of insult inflicted upon India by denying visa to Jaswal. It should be made clear to China that Kashmir is an integral part of India and not a disputed territory.\"



Party leader and former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha said, \" Government of India should retaliate in kind. A very strong message should go to China that India will not take such pinpricks lying down.\"



The anger was in accord with the mood in the government which seems to be determined to engage in some bluntspeak with China. Until then, military exchanges will be on hold, sources said.



In a statement on Friday, the MEA spokesperson said, \"While we value our exchanges with China, there must be sensitivity to each other\'s concerns. Our dialogue with China on these issues is ongoing.\" This is diplomatese for India\'s determination to refuse to negotiate on this issue.



However, the government was clear that this issue would not spill over to other sectors. For instance, border personnel meetings would not be cancelled or put on hold.



India has a modest defence relationship with China but with an intention to improve it so as to gain a greater understanding of each other\'s defence systems. However, on Kashmir, the PLA takes a stand that is designed to infuriate India and placate Pakistan\'s equally powerful military.



The Chinese approach to the Indian part of J&K is markedly different from its activities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir where it is engaged in construction work. This has already been protested by India, with little effect on Chinese behaviour.




News From: http://www.7StarNews.com

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