Putrajaya (Malaysia), Oct. 27: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, sent out his strongest signal yet that he wants relations with China to be brought back on track by saying on Wednesday, ahead of his meeting with the Chinese Premier, Mr Wen Jiabao, in Vietnam on the sidelines of the East Asian Summit, the first since the Chinese triggered a crisis by issuing stapled visas to people from Jammu and Kashmir, that “the world is large enough to accommodate the growth ambitions of both India and China”.
With Hanoi looming — Dr Singh meets Mr Wen during the concurrent Asean summit on Friday in his first meeting with the Chinese leader since the controversy — he gave the go-by to the issue, preferring instead to focus on his tried and tested line that the world was big enough for both of them.
Relations with China were being tackled along these lines, he said, even as officials close to the talks have let it be known that India is angered by the move that not only questions its sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir but also indicates a clear shift in China’s previous policy.