| Rise Of India, China To Benefit World |
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BEIJING, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Wrapping up his visit on an upbeat note, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said the simultaneous rise of India and China will be beneficial not only for the two countries but also for Asia and the world, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Before returning home, Singh called on Chinese President Hu Jintao, who congratulated the Prime Minister for the success of his "short but very productive" maiden visit to the country.
"I have come here with the strong belief that our two countries must do everything in their power to strengthen our multi-faceted cooperation, build new ties of friendship and partnership," Singh said at his meeting with Hu at the ornate Great Hall of the People here.
Noting that China and India are the fastest growing economies, Singh said "at a time when there are considerable uncertainties about the global economy, the strong growth of China and India is a positive public international good for the benefit of Asia and for the world community as a whole."
The positive tone was evident as Singh while addressing Chinese scholars expressed optimism on India and China working closely together in creating a world of mutual prosperity, rather than one based on calculations of balance of power and animosity.
"The rise of China is among the most important developments of our times," he said in his speech at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a premier think tank.
Singh also made a veiled reference to recent turmoil in Pakistan, saying the rise of non-state actors and extremism in the garb of religion or on the pretext of "righting historical wrongs" posed danger to civilised nations which should collectively fight the menace.
"Recent developments in our neighbourhood have brought home to us again the imperative need to collectively fight terrorism and extremism in all forms," Singh said.
The Prime Minister made no direct reference to Pakistan which has been facing a tumultuous period since the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27.
Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao had during their meeting Monday voiced similar concerns on the developments in Pakistan.
During their meeting, Hu, also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), noted that Singh had a "productive discussion" with Wen Monday and they reached a "broad common understanding".
China pledged to cooperate in civil nuclear cooperation with India and support New Delhi's aspirations for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. The two sides also agreed to expedite negotiations to resolve the vexed boundary issue.
Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, Foreign Secretary Shivashankar Menon, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and India's Ambassador to China Nirupama Rao were present during the Singh-Hu talks.
Prior to his discussions with Hu, Singh had a meeting with National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo, who is the second ranking official in the CPC.
Wu recalled his earlier meeting with Singh in India as the head of a party delegation in 1992 when the latter was the Finance Minister.
"At the meeting then, you had told me about many ideas of reforms you had in mind and I congratulate you on implementation of reforms," he told Singh.
Singh told the top Chinese legislator that 2008 was the 30th year of China's reforms and opening up and congratulated the Communist giant and its people on the success in "transforming."
-- BERNAMA
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