India may raise the issue of China blocking India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) with its top leaders when President Pranab Mukherjee travels to the country on a four-day tour from May 24 to 27.
“It is an important relationship, it is an important visit. And as it happens in all these visits, we discuss all issues of interest,” said Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs. India is also likely to discuss China’s action in blocking India’s move in the United Nations against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. Interestingly, both Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Chinese Foreign Office in Beijing said on Thursday that they are in close communication with each other on the issue of Azhar Masood.
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of Indian navy ships participating in Malabar naval exercise with the US and Japan in South China sea, a Chinese Embassy official on Thursday said that China gets concerned whenever Indian ships enter the South China Sea. Responding to the Chinese concerns, Rawat said Indian ships entering that area is normal and when it happens, there is nothing unusual about it.
During his four-day visit to Mukherjee will hold talks with the top Chinese leadership. This will first visit by an Indian President in six years, last being by Pratibha Patil in 2010. President’s visit is a reciprocal visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to India in 2014. It will be followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chinese city of Hangzhou for the G20 leaders summit to be held on September 4-5 this year. Xi was expected to travel to India to take part in the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) summit scheduled to be held in Goa from October 15-16 this year.
Mukherjee will arrive in Chinese city Guangzhou on May 24. The city has strong business links with India.
Besides interacting with the Indian community, which has over 3,000 businessmen, Mukherjee will also address India-China Business Forum to highlight the investment opportunities in India.
later, he will arrive in Beijing on May 25 and attend a reception hosted by The Chinese People’s Friendship Association for Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). On May 26, he will address a meeting at the Peking University and hold talks with President Xi and meet Prime Minister li Keqiang along with other Chinese leaders before leaving for home on May 27.