Jammu, May 20 (ANI): Protesters took to streets in Jammu on Monday and burnt an effigy of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Activists of the Jammu West Assembly Movement held a protest march in Jammu against Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India.
The outfit demanded that the Government of India take up the issue of Chinese troop incursions very strongly with Beijing.
Sunil Dimple, the President of the Jammu West Assembly Movement said: "We warn Li Keqiang that he vacates our territory as soon as possible. The thousands of kilometres of land, which has been encroached in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir, should be returned as soon as possible. We would like to urge the Prime minister to not compromise on the issue and settle the border disputes at the earliest."
The world's two most populous nations disagree about large areas on their ill-defined border and fought a brief but bloody war across it, 50 years ago. Although there have been no shooting incidents for decades, both sides maintain a large military presence and often patrol inside disputed areas.
The latest incident distracted diplomats' attention from negotiations on investment and trade ahead of Li's trip and soured Indian public opinion toward China.
Protesters in Jammu vehemently shouted slogans berating and denouncing the Chinese premier for the Chinese incursion and encroachment of Indian land.
They carried banners denouncing the Chinese government for its incursions and the Pakistan Government for promoting militancy.
China won the border war they fought in 1962, which soured relations for decades, but ties between the Asian giants have been improving. China is India's top trade partner and the two occasionally hold joint military exercises.
Bilateral trade between the two countries touched $73 billion in 2011, making China India's largest trade partner, but slipped to $66 billion last year. However, the two countries remain committed to achieving a USD 100 billion bilateral trade by 2015.
Up from next to nothing in the 1990s, trade has been heavily skewed in favour of China. It exports power and telecom equipment to its neighbour, which as one of the world's fastest growing major economies could offer brighter opportunities for business than the stagnant West.
The growing deficit is a bone of contention though, and India is pressing for greater access for its pharmaceuticals and IT services.
China has never sought a trade surplus or blocked imports, its deputy trade minister Jiang Yaoping said on Thursday, blaming the imbalance on "differences in the two countries' economic structures".
Prior to the visit, Li said he chose his first destination on the four nation tour to show how important India is for China and also because he had fond memories of visiting as a Communist youth leader 27 years ago.
The two countries are expected to sign agreements on trade, agriculture, the environment and culture, Xinhua said after Li arrived on Sunday. Li is due to leave India on Wednesday to travel to Pakistan, then Switzerland and Germany.
India has been beefing up its military presence for several years on the remote Ladakh plateau, building roads and runways to catch up with Chinese development across the border in a disputed area known as Aksai Chin
The decision to agree to the Chinese demand followed heavy criticism of the Indian government over its handling of the incident by the opposition. (ANI)
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