India fails to get Wen's support on UN office

The two issues that New Delhi hoped would be addressed during Premier Wen Jiabao's India visit were the Chinese endorsement to India's candidature as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and the reiteration of Sikkim as a part of India.

But on the both, the Chinese position fell far short of Indian expectations. The joint statement issued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao emphasised the importance of the United Nations in global peace, stability and common development and reiterated their intention to continue efforts to strengthen the United Nations system and help it develop a sound multilateral basis to address global issues.

"Both India and China agree that reform of the United Nations should be comprehensive and multi-faceted and should put emphasis on an increase in the representation of developing countries," the joint statement said.

But where it differed was: "The Indian side reiterated its aspirations for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The Chinese side also reiterated that India is an important developing country and is having an increasingly important influence in the international arena. China attaches great importance to the status of India in international affairs.

" It understands and supports India's aspirations to play an active role in the United Nations and international affairs."

It is no coincidence that the latest annual report of the external affairs ministry, spells out in considerable detail, the axis between China and Pakistan.

The perspective of a set of diplomats in the foreign office is that China considers India a major power in South Asia, limited to being a counter-poise for Pakistan.

"China believes its destiny is to balance the rivalry in South Asia between India and Pakistan. So it will like to keep India locked in a perpetually defensive position vis a vis Pakistan," said an analyst. But the two sides condemned terrorism in any form.

On Sikkim, all that the joint statement said was: "Both sides reviewed with satisfaction the implementation of the memorandum on the border trade through the Nathula Pass between the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China and the Sikkim, state of the Republic of India."

The statement recognised Sikkim in the context of border trade. India on the other hand, "reiterated that it recognised the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China and that it did not allow Tibetans to engage in anti-China political activities in India.

The Indian side recalled that India was among the first countries to recognise that there was one China and its one China policy remained unaltered. India would continue to abide by its "one China policy," the Indian side stated.