BALI, 9 October 2003 — Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday wrapped up a three-day landmark visit to this Indonesian resort after forging closer ties with ASEAN and winning a major concession from China over the status of a disputed territory.
Vajpayee suggested to leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) that India and the countries of the region should work toward a single Asian Union on the lines of the European Union.
“The 14 of us should combine to form a single group,” he said, referring to the members of ASEAN as well as China, Japan and South Korea. “This is an idea of the future,” the prime minister said, adding that it would depend on the “comfort level” of the various countries.
Addressing the second India-ASEAN forum here, Vajpayee also announced various concessions to the 10-nation grouping and floated new ideas to deepen the existing economic relationship.
Vajpayee said New Delhi was opening up its skies to ASEAN that would allow designated airlines of the 10 countries to operate an unlimited number of flights to India’s metropolitan cities immediately, and 18 major Indian tourist destinations later, without New Delhi seeking any reciprocal benefits.
The India-ASEAN summit was somewhat overshadowed by Vajpayee’s 30-minute meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, with China finally striking off Sikkim — a northeast Indian state whose status they had disputed for 28 years — from its Foreign Ministry website as an independent country.
The Chinese premier also told Vajpayee that Beijing was determined to honor all the commitments related to their disputed borders that were made to the Indian prime minister during his path-breaking visit in June this year.
Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters here that National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Senior Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo would meet in New Delhi on Oct. 23 for the first time as special representatives to give a political push to the border dispute that sparked a bloody war in 1962.
“Sikkim is no longer there,” Sibal said, waving a printout of the website at the media briefing. “The Chinese government amended the website yesterday (Tuesday).”
Indian diplomats viewed the Chinese decision to remove Sikkim — a former protectorate that was merged with India in 1975 overruling Chinese protests — from the list of Asian countries in their website as a significant development that would help bring both countries further closer.
Sibal said India does not foresee an Asian space race emerging, even though China is about to send a man into orbit for the first time.
“Not at all, not even remotely,” Indian Foreign Secretary Sibal said when asked if he saw a rivalry developing similar to one between the United States and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
“I think it is a very strong reminder to all of us about the progress that China is making all around, and if they succeed in this feat, they deserve to be congratulated,” said Sibal.
India and ASEAN also signed an agreement here yesterday that would lead to a free trade regime between them within a decade. A Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation says New Delhi will extend special and differential trade treatment to members of the ASEAN based on their readiness to improve their market access to India.
Commenting on this, Vajpayee said: “We can look back with satisfaction over what we have achieved over the past year. We should have a long term vision to promote our bilateral ties.”
