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Subramanian Swamy touts Chinese trip as major success

Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy, MP, proposes to form a China-India parliamentary forum to promote relations and better understanding between the two countries.

Talking to newsmen in Madras on his arrival after a visit to China, Dr Swamy said he would discuss with Lok Sabha speaker TMC Balayogi the modalities of forming the forum.

Accusing the Vajpayee government of taking wrong steps towards China which resulted in the deterioration of Sino-Indian relations, he said during his talks with Chinese leaders it became clear that in a more conducive bilateral atmosphere, China could cooperate with the country in checking foreign-aided terrorism.

At present India's moral authority had been considerably eroded by activities of some ministers in clandestinely aiding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, he alleged. This only betrayed double standards, he added.

China could also consider opening more routes to Kailash Mansarovar and for border trade with India, he said.

Dr Swamy claimed that India's China policy was in a shambles now, undoing the ten years of painstaking efforts to normalise relations between the two countries that first got systematic impetus with the visit of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.

Trade between the two countries had also received a boost after his visit to China as the commerce minister in the then Chandra Shekhar government at the Centre, he said, adding that he had signed a trade protocol in February 1991 in Beijing.

Dr Swamy alleged that Indo-China relations further worsened when US President Bill Clinton, leaked to China, the contents of the letter written to him by Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on May 11 last expressing India's willingness to be projected by the Americans as a counterweight to China.

UNI

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