India-China relations: Ten-pronged strategy

Following are the highlights of the joint declaration issued after the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday. The two sides committed themselves to a ten-pronged strategy to enhance ties. They are:

1. Ensuring comprehensive development of bilateral relations.

• Hold regular summit-level meetings
• Open additional consulate general offices at Kolkata and Guangzhou.

2. Strengthening institutional linkages and dialogue mechanisms.

• Concerned ministries shall intensify exchanges under the existing dialogue mechanisms.

3. Consolidating commercial and economic exchanges.

• Endeavour to raise volume of bilateral trade to $40 billion (about Rs 90,000 crore) by 2010

4. Expanding all round mutually beneficial cooperation

• Agree to fully implement the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of oil and natural gas.
• Strengthen cooperation in the information and communication technology sector.
• Set-up expert-level mechanism to exchange flood season hydrological data.

5. Instilling mutual trust and confidence through defence cooperation.

• Fully implement provisions of MoU for exchanges and cooperation in the field of Defence signed on May 29, this year

6. Seeking early settlement of outstanding issues.

• Committed to resolve outstanding differences, including boundary through peaceful means in a fair, reasonable, mutually acceptable and proactive manner.
• Joint Working Group on the boundary issue to expedite work

7. Promoting trans-border connectivity and cooperation

• China to provide greater facilitation to Indian pilgrims for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Explore possibility of opening additional route.

8. Boosting cooperation in science and technology

• Expansion of civil nuclear cooperation.
• Strengthen cooperation in the use of space-based technologies.

9. Revitalising cultural ties and nurturing people-to-people exchanges.

• Organise 'Festival of India' in China and 'Festival of China' in India.
• Establish India-China Exchange Foundation.
• Launch new Educational Exchange Programme
• Organise the India-China Year of Friendship through Tourism in 2007.

10. Expanding cooperation on regional and international stage.

• Shall positively assess the trilateral dialogue mechanism among India, China and Russia.
• Revitalise and broaden India-China dialogue mechanism on counter-terrorism.
• Share developmental experiences with other developing countries and the international community through two-part seminar in New Delhi and Beijing.
• Strengthen cooperation in the World Trade Organisation.
• India to continue to abide by 'One China' policy.
• India reiterates its recognition of the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of China and not to allow Tibetans to engage in anti-China political activities in India.