China asks India not to bring differences to the fore

In the backdrop of its denial of visa to an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh, China on Tuesday said bilateral differences should not be brought to the fore till a fair and reasonable settlement of the vexed boundary issue is reached.

"We hold that the boundary issue between China and India should be settled fairly and reasonably at an early date through friendly consultations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jiang Yu said.

Before the boundary settlement, the differences should not be brought into the front, affecting exchanges between the two nations, Jiang told PTI here when asked to comment on Beijing's refusal to grant visa to an Indian IAS official from Arunachal Pradesh.

"China welcomes the friendly exchanges between the two nations," Jiang said without confirming the denial of Chinese visa to Gonesh Koyu, an IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh cadre who was a part of a 107-strong delegation of IAS officers who planned to travel to China.

"We welcome the Indian personnel to come and visit China and participate in the training programme," she said, apparently referring to New Delhi's decision to cancel the visit of 107 IAS officers for mid-career training in China.

She did not indicate the reason why the Chinese visa was denied to Koyu or whether China is willing to reconsider its decision to deny visa to the Indian official from Arunachal Pradesh cadre.

First Published: May 29, 2007 17:22 IST