Published 17:09 IST, October 21st 2019
Rajnath Singh on relation with China: Only 'perceptional difference'
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reiterated that Kashmir is an integral part of India & acknowledged ''perceptional'' difference between India & China
Days after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for second informal summit, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reiterated that Kashmir is an integral part of India and acknowledged the ''perceptional'' difference between India and China. However, the defence minister emphasized that India shares cordial relations with China and mentioned that Chinese premier had not discussed Kashmir during his meet with the PM. He also said that China's statement against terrorism in the recent past is significant.
Rajnath Singh said: "India shares cordial relations with China. There are perceptional differences between both the countries on the boundary issue but the issue has been handled with great maturity and responsibly. Both countries have not allowed the situation to escalate or go out of hand."
Kashmir not dicussed between PM Modi and Xi
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese premier Xi Jinping concluded the second informal summit at Tamil Nadu's Mamallapuram, the Foreign Secretary said that Kashmir issue was not discussed. Briefing the media on Saturday, about Prime Minister's one-on-one talks with Chinese president, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said that India's position is clear on the issue. He also added both the leaders discussed terrorism and highlighted the need to fight against it together. He also briefed about Xi's invitation to PM Modi and Defence Minister.
The Foreign Secretary said, "This (Kashmir) issue was not raised and not discussed. Our position is anyways very clear that this is an internal matter of India." However, Modi and Xi agreed that both countries should work together to deal with the challenge of terrorism, he said. Gokhale also said President Jinping invited PM Modi to China for the next India-China summit. "PM Modi has accepted the invitation. Dates will be worked out later," he added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh invited to China
Earlier, in a press briefing after the second informal summit of between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the Chinese premier invited defence Minister Rajnath Singh for a state visit to China. "President Xi urged greater cooperation in defence. He also invited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit China soon. Exact defence acquisition will be discussed later by concerned ministries," the foreign secretary said.
Updated 17:40 IST, October 21st 2019