Menon briefs DPM on China

Indian Ambassador to China and High Commissioner designate to Pakistan Shiv Shanker Menon met Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today and ga...

Indian Ambassador to China and High Commissioner designate to Pakistan Shiv Shanker Menon met Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today and gave him ‘‘a realistic assessment’’ of the ground situation in China.

Present scenario in both, China and Pakistan was discussed during the 30-minute meeting. Advani mentioned the list of 20 wanted men from Pakistan and reportedly told Menon that he had to work towards getting them to India.

However, sources said China assumed greater significance in view of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s scheduled visit to the country. Vajpayee is the first PM to visit

Beijing after Narasimha Rao’s visit in 1993. In fact, Menon is here to tie up loose ends before the visit and coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Sources said that he is likely to stay on in China till the PM’s visit and proceed to Islamabad after that.

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His meeting with Advani was also to finalise the agenda on security issues concerning India vis-a-vis China.

Menon is reported to have briefed Advani about the Chinese posture on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the clarifications required. The Survey of Brahmaputra waters and the Tibetan issue also came up for discussion.

Advani is believed to have told Menon that as putative High Commissioner to Pakistan, he was in best position to use his China knowledge to understand the ‘‘all weather friendship’’ between the two countries.

India, concerned about the security scenario on this front, was keen to take its relationship with China forward.

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Specially after the PM had said that India did not require nuclear power only for not-to-friendly neighbour Pakistan.