India, China Ink Key Border Pact; To Boost Economic Ties


Beijing: Six months after their tense, three-week border stand-off, India and China Wednesday inked a key accord to secure peace along their disputed border, besides a slew of other agreements for boosting economic cooperation as their leaders concurred they have "more common interests than differences".

Besides the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA), India and China concluded eight other agreements as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met for talks in the cavernous Great Hall of the People.

The BDCA comes after Chinese troops intruded inside Indian territory in Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir April 16, leading to a three-week face-to-face situation that was resolved after hectic negotiations. Repeated incidents on the Line of Actual Control are ascribed to "differing perceptions" of their often unmarked 4,000-km boundary.

Premier Li, who in May visited India, said he was "sure" the border deal will help to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Manmohan Singh said both sides are in agreement that peace and tranquility on the border "must remain the foundation for growth in India-China ties" and both should continue negotiations for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement.

"This will be our strategic benchmark."

Both sides also signed an agreement on trans-border rivers, with China agreeing to share hydrological information on the Brahmaputra for 15 more days and also to discuss "other issues" - in a tacit agreement of India’s lower riparian rights. India has consistently voiced its concerns about China's dam building activity upstream on the Brahmaputra.

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Source: IANS