Beijing, October 22
India and China are likely to sign a new Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signalling the common intent of leadership on either side to maintain peace and tranquility across the borders that are not clearly demarcated.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who arrived here today, will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang tomorrow. Manmohan Singh was received at the airport by the Chinese Vice- Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhai Jun and the Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei. “China is our great neighbour. We have centuries old civilisational links. There are a lot of things we have to discuss. I am looking forward to promote further cooperation between our two countries,” said the Prime Minister.

Besides delegation-level talks with Li, Manmohan Singh will also meet President Xi Jinping and former Premier Wen Jiabao. Both sides will also exchange views on the situation in the region and the world, including Afghanistan whose stability is a must for India, Russia and China.

New Delhi, however, is unwilling to oblige Beijing immediately by agreeing to a liberalised visa regime providing for multiple one-year entry, especially for businessmen. The recent Chinese move to give stapled visas to Indian archers from Arunachal had irked India. At the Union Cabinet meet last week, liberalised visa issue was taken off the agenda.

Sources said Sino-Indian relations should be viewed in the context of an altered landscape in which both countries are to deal with each other as growing economic powers in the world who have benefited from an open international system and have aspirations on the world stage.

According to reports, the draft BDCA that was handed over to India earlier suggested a slowdown of activities not acceptable to India. What appears possible is having a `no-tailing’ by patrols, and among other things opening of two border meeting points in Arunachal Pradesh in addition to existing three -one each in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. India believes it has the right to develop its side of the border, including military bases and develop advanced landing grounds closer to Sino-Indian Border.

The BDCA will seek to address issues on a more firm ground and prevent incidents like Depsang in Ladakh this summer when Chinese patrols parked themselves for 21 days.

``We could handle Depsang in three weeks time with a minimum of fuss. Unlike the 1986 Wangdun that took seven years…we have mechanism in place. We have differences and because of which we have face-offs …have to handle until we settle the boundary question’, the sources said.

Ahead of his Beijing visit, the Prime Minister told the Chinese media that the boundary question is both ``complex and sensitive’’ and the Special Representatives having arrived at the political parameters and guiding principles were now seeking a framework for its resolution.