India and China began the second round of strategic dialogue in Beijing Monday aimed at increasing mutual understanding as well as enhancing cooperation and coordination in regional and global affairs.
While Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is leading the Indian side, the Chinese delegation is headed by Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is in charge of Asian affairs.
The two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern, official sources said.
They said a plenary session is scheduled for the morning and the meeting would continue in the afternoon as well.
Ahead of the talks, a senior Chinese official said, "The Chinese government firmly pursues the policy of developing long-term, stable, good-neighbourly and cooperative relations with India."
"The Chinese side is ready to work closely with the Indian side to further expand friendly exchanges, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and continuously enrich the contents of the strategic and cooperative partnership between our two countries," the official told PTI.
The second round of the India-China strategic dialogue is the first since New Delhi and Beijing agreed to qualitatively upgrade their bilateral relations to strategic levels during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India in April 2005.
During Wen's visit, India and China had agreed to upgrade their relations and establish a "strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity".
It is also the first major bilateral event in 2006, which is being marked as the "India-China Friendship Year" and is expected to be utilised by two sides to instil greater confidence and cooperation between the two Asian giants.
The first strategic dialogue between the two sides was held in New Delhi on January 24, 2005.
Saran may also use the visit and talks to discuss United Nations reforms, including India's bid to become a permanent member of the Security Council.
China, which says it backs India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the UNSC has, however, backed out citing New Delhi's alliance with Japan, a country with which Beijing has sour political relations.
Interestingly, the foreign secretary is in Beijing days after India, Brazil and Germany re-tabled the G-4 draft resolution on UNSC reforms.
However, Japan has abstained from the move this time. It is unclear whether Beijing will review its stand on the G-4 draft.
The second round of India-China strategic dialogue is also taking place ahead of the seventh round of boundary talks between the special representatives of India and China later in January in New Delhi.
During his stay in Beijing, Saran will call on Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, who is also the Chinese special representative to the India-China boundary talks.
The foreign secretary will also visit Shanghai where he will deliver a speech and will have an interactive session with Chinese scholars at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, Indian Embassy sources said.
