Happy to see strong engagement between India, China: Hamid Karzai

Visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday that he was happy to see a strong engagement between India and China.

Karzai, who is in India on a three-day visit, said: "We are happy to see a strong engagement between China and India."

India and China on Monday enhanced their bilateral ties with the inking of eight significant agreements that cover a range of areas including trade, culture and water resources.

The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in New Delhi.

To enhance trade, both sides decided to set up three working groups under the Joint Economic Group. The three groups are the Services Trade Promotion Working Group, the Economic and Trade Planning Cooperation Group and the Trade Statistical Analysis Group.

This pact for the setting up of working groups was signed by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng. In 2012, bilateral trade between both countries was worth an essential USD 66 billion, a decline from over the USD 74 billion in 2011.

The two countries have set a target of USD 100 billion by 2015 for bilateral trade. An agreement signed by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will see China making further improvements to existing facilities for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims including providing them with wireless sets and local SIM cards.

The Kailash Mansrovar Yatra will be conducted every year from May to September. China will provide information of water level, discharge and rainfall twice a day from June 1 to October 15 each year in respect of three hydrological stations on the mainstream Brahmaputra river.

A separate Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the India's Ministry of Water Resources and China's National Development and Reform Commission for cooperation in the field of ensuring water efficient irrigation.

The MoU aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of water efficient technology with applicability in the area of agriculture and exchange of best practices. Both the sides firmed another pact aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation in trade and safety of buffalo meat and fish products.

The pact will also provide for regulatory requirements with respect to safety, hygiene and quarantine of such products. An MoU was also signed between the Ministry of Urban Development and National Development and Reform Commission of China on cooperation in the field of sewage treatment. It will provide for enhancing cooperation in the field of sewage treatment and experience sharing in the areas of mutual interest in urban sectors.

Another pact was signed between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Chinese Foreign Ministry to facilitate cooperation and linkages between cities and provinces of the two countries.

Both sides agreed to identify "sister cities" and "sister states/provinces" in India and China with a view to establish relationships between them in areas of mutual interest for enhancing greater people-to-people contact.