New Delhi, January 11
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who leaves for Beijing tomorrow night on a three-day visit to engage the Chinese leadership on a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, will lay special emphasis on trade and energy security.

A high-level business delegation, led by commerce minister Kamal Nath, is accompanying Dr Manmohan Singh, who will call on President Hu Jintao and hold talks with Premier Wen Jiabao.

Another high point of the visit will be the Prime Minister’s address, on January 15, to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on “India and China in the 21st Century”.

Briefing journalists, foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon said the Prime Minister’s visit would not only give a boost to the growing bilateral relationship but also diversify the strategic cooperation partnership.

The partnership, underpinned by the 10-point strategy, has been carried forward during the past few years through a series of regular high-level meetings.

The last such high-level meeting was during UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s visit to China in October, 2007. The foreign ministers of the two countries, who held talks in New Delhi in February, 2007, have met since then on three other occasions, in Hamburg, Manila and Harbin. The first-ever India-China defence dialogue and the joint military exercise in 2007 are other milestones that mark the progress of strategic cooperation.

Dr Manmohan Singh, who is the fifth Prime Minister to travel to China, five years after his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and 20 years after the “path-breaking” visit of Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, is unlikely to be bogged down by the intractable border issue. His engagements are expected to deepen and widen economic relations with China, which is India’s second largest trading partner.

There has been a rapid growth on the economic front with bilateral trade zooming to $ 37 billion and holds the promise of the target of $ 40 billion set for 2010 being crossed long before that date. The study group set up for the purpose has considered the benefits that could flow from a regional trade agreement. Although the agreement may come later, trade will not just grow but also diversify for the potential to be realised, Menon said.

There are several dialogue mechanisms in place, which are proceeding apace. Menon identified these as foreign office consultations, Policy Planning Dialogue and Special Representative-level talks on the boundary dispute. In addition the two countries are also trying to synergise their cooperation in areas such as energy security and climate change.

In reply to questions, Menon sought to play down reports such as hectic infrastructural development activities by the Chinese along the border, Beijing’s coolness to civilian nuclear cooperation and the slow pace of talks on the boundary issue.

“Both countries are maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border. The two countries are committed to maintaining status quo pending settlement of the boundary question”.

However, Menon conceded that “we do have areas where we have differences in perception”.