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China welcomes Indian President, but won’t budge on NSG issue: Spokesperson

“Today, the Government of India, in partnership with Indian and global partners is taking a number of far reaching initiatives to revive this tradition and create centres of excellence that can be ranked among the leading institutions of the world”, said President Mukherjee.

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Mukherjee, who is making his first visit to China as President, has made a number of trips to this country in various capacities including as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Defence Minister.

Over 300 Chinese investment officials and investors are expected to take part in India-ChinaBusiness Forum to be addressed by Mukherjee in Guangzhou city tomorrow.

Stating that India and China were proud inheritors of a grand cultural legacy, he said the two countries were among the oldest civilisations with a rich accumulated wisdom. The joint contribution of the two countries to world economy as well as regional and global stability, can not be underestimated.

Specifically, China has also agreed to accommodate more Indian tourists (seven batches or around 400 people this year) to visit Kailash Mansarovar via the Nathu La pass into Tibet.

Mukherjee arrived on Tuesday on a four-day visit to China.

They also rejected Beijing’s new insistence on India signing the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty for gaining membership of the NSG or its dismissal of New Delhi’s stand that France had not signed the NPT when it became a member of the NSG. “To capitalise on the potential of this segment of educated youth, my government has launched “Start-up India” aimed at promoting and providing incentives for entrepreneurship and job creation”, Mukherjee said.

China is now India’s largest trading partner.

President Xi Jinping (left) welcomes visiting Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in Beijing on May 26, 2016.

“China is willing to continue working with India to accelerate the negotiation and solve the issue at an early date”, said Hua. “We work closely very with China on climate change and we are reasonably confident that in our move in the quest for civil nuclear power China will play a positive role”, he said. He urged the distinguished leaders in the fields of art and culture to transform India-China ties.

Addressing the gathering, the President said at a time of global economic uncertainty, India and China, despite the pressure of having 40 per cent of the world’s human population, have managed to maintain unity and growth.

There are no good and bad terrorists and all forms of terrorism need to be squashed, President Pranab Mukherjee told the Chinese leadership while discussing the problem of trans-border terrorism. Bilateral cooperation in India’s railway sector is also progressing well, he said.

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“I am sure your current visit will hopefully strengthen the momentum of high-level exchanges between China and India and hope to take forward our overall relations and friendly cooperation in various fields”, he said.

Nuclear Supplier Group deeply divided