'India, China need to work harder on bilateral ties'

India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (R) shakes hands with India's Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi Sunday. Vajpayee is in China on a six-day visit which is first by an Indian premier in a decade. The two countries which account for a third of the world's population, have had unsteady diplomatic relations since a bloody 1962 border war. Photo: AFP

"We have only taken the first few steps," he told the Xinhua news agency in an interview prior to his six-day trip starting Sunday.

"We need to do much more to fulfil the true potential of our partnership in the search for a multi-polar world order, in fashioning pragmatic responses to the challenges of globalisation, and in promoting a climate of peace, stability and development in Asia and in the world."

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Vajpayee, who arrives at 1110 GMT, said he hoped to discuss these aspects with the Chinese leadership during his groundbreaking trip, which will take him to Beijing, the historical city of Luoyang, and the economic powerhouse of Shanghai.

The nuclear neighbours, home to one-third of humanity, have often had frosty relations, highlighted by a series of territorial disputes that 15 rounds of talks since the 1980s have failed to resolve.

India accuses China of occupying 38,000 square kilometers (14,670 square miles) of territory in Kashmir while Beijing lays claim to 90,000 square kilometers (34,750 square miles) of land in Arunachal Pradesh.

In an interview with Indian media, published Sunday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attempted to smooth the ground, saying China will never seek "hegemony".

"China is still a developing country, but even when it becomes developed, it will not seek hegemony. Never will it do (so)," he said.

"Rather than posing a threat to any country, China's development will only contribute to the common development of this region."

He called the border issue "an historical burden on our two countries left over by the colonialists".

"The Chinese side stands for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the issue, a solution that can be found through bilateral talks in accordance with the principles of consultation on an equal footing, mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and mutual adjustment," he said.

Nevertheless, with 10 years having passed since an Indian leader set foot on Chinese soil -- then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1993 -- and with India conducting nuclear tests in 1998 that angered Beijing, there is still much distrust between the two.

Just last month, the Indian defense ministry in its annual report highlighted that every important Indian city is within range of Chinese missiles.

Vajpayee, who abruptly cut short a trip to China as foreign minister in 1979 when China invaded Vietnam, however, was optimistic that progress could be made.

"My visit to China is the first by an Indian prime minister in nearly a decade. In this period, our two countries have developed a wide canvas of mutually beneficial cooperation," he said.