India Japan wish to see peaceful rise of China

Tokyo, Oct.25 (ANI): Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan today discussed China's growth in great detail and both the leaders shared the view that the rise of China has to be peaceful.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, while talking to reporters here today said, " The growth of Chinese economy, China's emergence as a world power , its military modernisation , its ability to project influence in the region when it comes to our respective neighbourhood, these are all issues that require close analysis, study and understanding and dealing with the rise of China."

"Both-our country India and Japan wish to see the peaceful rise of China, I think that view was expressed by both sides how do we attain that vision of the future . It is, I think, by engaging China; drawing it into more productive dialogue, developing structures of cooperation with China, I think, that is the way forward. It requires deep analysis. It requires close engagement and it will require lot of patience," she stated.

The Foreign Secretary told reporters that Japanese Prime Minister Kan was interested in knowing from our Prime Minister about the development of our relationship and both leaders did refer to relations each country has with China, how important these relations are from strategic, security and economic point of view, how both countries desire peaceful and productive relationship with China and how it is essential to engage China in closer and more open dialogue both countries feel that.

Both India and Japan are having uneasy relations with neighbour China on the land and Maritime boundary issues respectively.

Tensions between India and China escalated after China hardened its position on Jammu and Kashmir and also turned more and more assertive over its claims on the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Similarly, China-Japan relations ebbed further in the light of dispute over Sankaku Island in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The island is claimed by both, as well as by Taiwan, but controlled by Japan.

Indian Foreign Secretary said there were issues to be resolved with China. "India has issues to resolve with China. When it comes to Japan's case, there are maritime boundary issue, in our case there are land boundary issues with China."

Raod said, "The fact that there are systems in place we mentioned from our side that we have a very well functioning system to discuss these issues, these differences with China in a peaceful andngaging way."

Rao informed that both India and Japan felt that "this is the best way to engage China and to draw it into more productive discussion to resolve these issues peacefully." By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)