New Delhi, October 20
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves here tomorrow on five-day visit to Japan and China, during which he will have meetings with top world leaders on the current financial crisis, which has destabilised the global economy.
The visit to Tokyo is apparently to thank the Japanese leadership for supporting India’s case for an exemption by the nuclear supplier’s group (NSG) to engage in nuclear commerce while the tour to Beijing is to attend the seventh Asia Europe meeting (ASEM) that will focus on expanding dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe on a wide range of global issues, including terrorism.
Briefing mediapersons here today, foreign secretary Shiv Shanker Menon said during his trip to Japan, Manmohan Sigh would hold talks with the country's new Prime Minister Taro Aso on political and economic ties, including a free trade deal, with an aim to expand bilateral strategic relations.
India and Japan will sign a joint statement and another pact on security issues.
Menon said the two countries were still discussing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was widely expected to be signed during Manmohan Singh’s visit. India and Japan were also discussing a dedicated freight corridor between Delhi and Mumbai and another between Delhi and Kolkata.
Asked if there was any possibility of cooperation between India and Japan in the civilian nuclear energy field, Menon said New Delhi was thankful to Japan for supporting India’s case for exemption by the NSG. It was now up to Japan to decide if it wanted to cooperate with India in this field.
In the second leg of his five-day visit, the Prime Minister will be attending the ASEM summit in Beijing on October 24-25. This is the first time that India has been invited into this grouping.
It was in the last ASEM smmit at Helsinki in 2006, that a decision was taken to induct India, Mongolia and Pakistan into the grouping.
Founded in 1996, ASEM’s invitees include China, Japan, South Korea, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, the 10 nations of the association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN secretariat, the 27 nations of the EU and the European Commission.
