19. Sep 2009
India downplays border incidents
(IANS) Following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh downplaying reports of increasing Chinese military incursions, top Indian officials and the army chief have warned that media "hype" could lead to "unwarranted incident or accident" with Beijing and stressed that the two countries are trying to resolve bilateral issues through dialogue. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said there was no plan for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in the US. Rao also stressed that there was "no significant increase" in incursions across all sections of the over 4,000 km border between the two countries. "There is no meeting that has been planned between Singh and the leader of the Chinese delegation to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh", Rao told reporters when asked if Manmohan Singh will take up the issue of incursions with Hu. "Contrary to popular perception, the situation along the border has remained peaceful for decades", she said. "That's because there is no mutually agreed or delineated border. This is not a new phenomenon. It has been going on for years".