External affairs minister S.M. Krishna on Wednesday assured two Indian traders, trapped in a financial dispute with local businessmen in the commodity hub of Yiwu, that he would take up their case with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday.
Mr Krishna, who is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), met Shyam Sunder Agrawal and Deepak Raheja the two Indian traders who were released from illegal custody from the Chinese suppliers in Yiwu after India’s intervention.
“I had a good meeting with the two traders,” Mr Krishan told the Indian media here on Wednesday.
“I told them (traders) I will be meeting the Chinese foreign minister (Yang Jeichi) tomorrow. I certainly will take up the issue with him,” Mr Krishna said. He has already discussed the case few times with Mr Yang twice in the recent past. Together, the two Indians have been asked to pay 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) to local traders. China has told India that cases against the two Indian will not be withdrawn until they repay the entire amount.
Both claim that they were the employees of a company run by a Yamanese national in the Chinese commodity trade hub Yiwu.