The Congress on Wednesday downplayed the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and said that such global strategic partnerships as signed with China is not new to India. The party also reacted to the hype created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan early this month.
AICC spokesperson Anand Sharma said that there is no need to underscore this in advance. “There is a word of caution for the drum beaters and the propagandists of the Prime Minister and the BJP that they should stop saying repeatedly that these are happening for the first time in India,” Sharma said.
“In the case of China, it was in the year 2005 when the guiding principles for the conduct of relations to engage in serious negotiations for the settlement of the border or the demarcation of the border and to maintain peace and tranquillity on India and China’s borders and along the loC was signed when the then Chinese Prime Minister visited India for the State-level visit and summit talks with the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Talking about Modi’s much-hyped visit to Japan, the Congress said that both the countries (India and Japan) signed the first defence agreement in 2008 between Japanese Prime Minister and Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Sharma pointed that the market access for the Indian businesses particularly in the identified and agreed sector to lower the trade deficit will be concluded tomorrow and expressed the party’s good wishes to both the President of China and the Prime Minister of India for doing that.The Chinese President will also call on Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.