New Delhi:
In lieu of the recent tensions over mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, China has now proposed to discuss the issue with India in the joint mechanism on counter-terrorism.
The step is seen as the first move by China over its move to block action against Pakistan in the UN Security Council, a senior Chinese official said the two countries are victims of terrorism and are working quite well to combat the menace.
“Both India and China are victims of terrorism. We have similar positions on this. We are working quite well in this field. We are opposed terrorism all forms,” said Huang Xilian, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
But at the same time he said that when it comes to the specific issue in multilateral institutions it required further discussions.
“We need to have further discussion and conversation so that we can have better understanding and can work closely on it. We are ready to do that. We have a mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation between the two ministries” in which it can be discussed, he told Indian journalists yesterday.
The meeting of the counter-terrorism mechanism is scheduled to be held in the second half of this year.
“We hope it will bring help closer cooperation between the two in this field,” he said.
Huang said India and China have similar positions on terrorism at the UN.
“We share similar positions in principle. On specific issues... we need to stay (in) close communication for better understanding and close cooperation,” he said.
“We have effective mechanism of counter-terrorism consultation. It is quite effective and we should make full use of this mechanism to promote understanding and cooperation,” he said.
Beside the Lakhvi’s case, China had earlier put a technical hold on India’s demand for UN Security Council to take action against Hizbul Mujahudeen Chief Syed Salahuddin and Lashkar-e-Toyaba leader Hafeez Sayed.
Indian officials said when the UN Sanctions Committee met at India’s request, a clarification was to be sought from Pakistan over Lakhvi's release in the 26/11 trial but the Chinese representatives blocked the move on grounds that India did not provide sufficient information.
In a letter to the current Chair of the UN Sanctions Committee Jim McLay, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukherjee had said Lakhvi’s release by a Pakistani court was in violation of the 1267 UN resolution dealing with designated entities and individuals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took up the issue with the Chinese leadership.
China has proposed a trilateral economic corridor with India through Nepal and a railway line linking the three nations via Tibet besides undertaking of joint reconstruction of projects to rebuild quake-hit Nepal.
The India-Nepal-China Corridor is a major initiative to promote the connectivity in the region especially between China and India and help quake-hit Nepal, said Huang Xilian, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs departs of the Chinese foreign ministry.
The proposal mooted by China during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here in May was received positively by him, Huang told Indian correspondents here yesterday.
The proposal was discussed in the recent meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of an international conference on Nepal reconstruction in Kathmandu last month.
“The two Ministers had further discussion on this topic and reached consensus. We need to work together for the process of reconstruction of Nepal and we need to setup a joint study group to explore the feasibility of the Corridor,” said Huang, the Foreign Ministry’s point man for India.
“We are ready to set up study group for economic corridor. If we can reach an agreement on feasibility we are ready to push forward it as it will bring benefit to the three countries,” he said.
He also spoke about China’s interest to build railway line through the Himalayan passes of Tibet connecting Nepal and India. “The construction of this railway will help to materialise a dream. We need to have a feasibility study on it. We need to have consultations among the three. If India shows some interest we can respond positively,” he said.
While the recent earthquake in Nepal reminded about the vulnerabilities of the region a joint study can work out how to deal with it, Huang said.
China also dropped the much publicised plan to construct a high speed rail link through Mt. Everest, which Huang dismissed as imagination of a retired railway official.
Asked about the media reports about plans to build 540-km long high speed railway cutting through Mt Everest, Huang said an official who quoted in this regard is full of imagination.
“This guy is full of imagination. This is only a report and there is no government proposal on this,” he said In April this year, Wang Mengshu, a rail expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, spoke about this proposal to state-run China Daily.
Huang said China is in discussions with India about the projects for reconstruction of Nepal to rebuild it after the devastating quake which flattened many parts of the country.
He said Chinese Foreign Minister during his meeting with Swaraj appreciated India’s USD one billion assistance to Nepal. China has also announced USD 483 million assistance.
Besides USD 10 million cash, China will also provide either interest free loans or preferential loans.
