Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japanese PM Naoto Kan on Monday discussed the rise of China. China?s aggressiveness over the small stretch of ocean contiguous to Japan, has received wide media attention in Japan, particularly since early September when Japan apprehended the captain of a Chinese fishing ship after it collided with two of its patrol boats.
?China is a fact of life. We have to develop in-depth relations with it. The two prime ministers said dealing with a ?peaceful? rise of China requires close analysis, study and understanding,? said Nirupama Rao, foreign secretary, after a day of hectic official engagements.
?Prime Minister Kan was keen to understand how India engages China. Our Prime Minister said it requires developing trust, close engagement and a lot of patience,? she added.
The joint statement ? Vision for India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership in the Next Decade ? of the two countries said the two PMs welcomed the commencement of negotiations on an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in June 2010. Since then, the two countries had another round of meetings mid-October. Rao said the third round is now scheduled to be held in November third week in Tokyo.
Rao said that negotiations of this nature are complex and delicate. Realising the sensitivities, Prime Minister Singh had earlier in the day told a gathering of Indian and Japanese CEOs that New Delhi would not force the issue with Japan. The joint statement at the end of the day said: ?The two PMs affirmed that cooperation in this sector will open up new opportunities for further developing the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership. They encouraged their negotiators to arrive at a mutually satisfactory agreement for civil nuclear cooperation at an early date.?
Significantly, Japan has suggested the setting up of a ministerial level economic dialogue with India to give strategic and long-term policy orientation to bilateral economic engagement. The two countries also decided to set up joint ventures for recycling and reusing rare earths and rare metals and for R&D of their industrial substitutes. In their joint declaration on the conclusion of Cepa negotiations, the two leaders committed to signing the agreement at the earliest at ministerial level, on completion of necessary formalities.
The two PMs also signed a memorandum on simplifying procedures for business visas and temporary visitors’ visas for businessmen in Japan. It also entails measures related to employment visas in India and entry visas for working in Japan.