16.10.09

India China pow wow continues

India raised the pitch of an increasingly testy row with China over disputed border areas warning Beijing about its involvement in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "The Chinese side is fully aware of India's position and our concerns about Chinese activities," foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said in response to a Chinese statement that it would remain engaged in Pakistan. "We hope that the Chinese side will take a longterm view of the India-China relations and cease such activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan," Prakash said.
India and China traded diplomatic jabs a day before over a recent visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Arunachal Pradesh, which is at the core of a longstanding dispute between the neighbours. Singh had visited Arunachal Pradesh on 3 October to campaign ahead of state assembly elections, but refrained from saying anything on China or the border dispute. Last month, China offered financial help to Pakistan to build a multibillion dollar dam in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which led New Delhi to complain to Islamabad.
The planned $12.6 billion (Rs58,212 crore) Diamir Bhasha dam on the Indus river in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is set to produce 4,500MW of power, aimed at overcoming major electricity shortages in the region.

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