Source: Global Times    [02:46 October 16 2009]

Premier Wen Jiabao wants to meet with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in Thailand next week in what looks to be a sign of diplomacy amid renewed border disputes between the neighboring countries, Indian media reported.

The meeting would come on the heels of a recent controversial visit by the Indian prime minister to a disputed region and India’s call for China to stop offering assistance on a dam project in Kashmir.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursdaydid not rule out the possibility that the meeting could take place at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

“The ministry is still consulting with relevant departments about Premier Wen’s schedule,” a spokesperson told the Global Times.

Wen conveyed his wish to meet Singh during a meeting with Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, who was in Beijing earlier this week to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, the Hindustan Times reported Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources.

The border dispute was highlighted again Thursday when Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi insisted that “Arunachal Pradesh” was part of India, Press Trust of India reported.

Singh visited “Arunachal Pradesh,” on October 3 to campaign ahead of state elections there. AFP reported that Singh refrained from saying anything about China or the border dispute.

China on Tuesday expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” over the visit, accusing the unnamed “Indian leader” of “disregarding China’s serious concerns.” according to foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

Singh’s vist also brought up outcries among the Chinese public. A Global Times Chinese website poll participated by more than 10,000 users Tuesday showed that more than 96% people are “angry” over the visit, and many believed it was a provocative move.

In response to New Delhi’s call Wednesday to halt Beijing’s assistance on hydro-electric projects in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, the foreign ministry spokesman said “the Kashmir issue is a question left over by history that should be resolved properly through consultation and dialogue by India and Pakistan.”

The remarks came after a warning by India about Beijing’s involvement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

“We hope that the Chinese side will take a long-term view of India-China relations and cease such activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said in response to a Chinese statement that it would remain engaged in Pakistan.

China offered help to Pakistan to build a multibillion-dollar dam in Kashmir, leading New Delhi to complain to Islamabad.

An agreement was signed in August to begin construction of the project, one of the eight 7,000 megawatt hydro-projects to be constructed, the Xinhua News Agency has reported. The dam is being constructed at Bunji in the Astore district of the Gilgit-Baltistan area, Xinhua said.

The Indian media have also sensationalized Nepal’s invitation on China to extend its Qinghai-Tibet plateau railway to Kathmandu, and how the Indian Railways has come up with a plan to build links with Nepal and Bhutan.

Hindustan Times called it part of India’s stepped up diplomatic initiatives to “neutralise China’s advantage in the region” over the past few months.

Fu Xiaoqiang, an expert on South Asian issues at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said there has been long-standing mistrust between the two neighbors, but he said China had no intension of containing India’s development.

“China and India inevitably have overlapping and even conflicting interests,” Fu said.

He conceded that the possibility of military conflicts, provoked by uncontrollable sentiment, could not be ruled out if the border issue is left unresolved and the Indian military keeps strengthening its armament out of security concerns with China.

“Neither side could benefit from conflict,” Fu said.

Wang Dehua, at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the reaction by the Indian government was its response to China’s protest over the Indian leader’s visit to the controversial region.

“China and India should avoid malicious contest and cooperate to win for the same goal,” Wang said. “Western countries would be happy to see conflict erupt between China and India, because they can sell their weapons to both countries for commercial benefits.”

The Indian media also expressed similar sentiments on avoiding conflict.

“Negative vibes between India and China are growing. It would be calamitous if this leads to greater military spending,” an opinion piece carried in the Business Standard said.

“India must lie low in the short and medium term, build its strength and hope that conditions in both countries will be ripe for striking the deal that Deng Xiaoping offered in 1988 but which India had declined – accepting the status quo – the line of actual control – as the international border between the two countries,” it said.

Kang Juan and An Baijie contributed to this story