Beijing/New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) India and China held discussions in Beijing over the past two days where both sides took stock of the exchanges and activities planned for the coming year and New Delhi emphasised on the need for early resolution of outstanding issues pertaining to export control, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Friday.

Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), visited Beijing from December 11-12, during which he called on China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and also held discussions with Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The discussions were constructive and forward looking. Both sides highlighted the importance of strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, and made a positive assessment of the progress in stabilizing and rebuilding bilateral ties, prioritizing people centric engagements,” read a statement issued by the MEA after the conclusion of the visit on Friday.

“The two sides took stock of the exchanges and activities planned for the coming year. The Indian side emphasised on the need for early resolution of outstanding issues pertaining to export control. Regional and global developments of mutual interest were also briefly touched upon,” it added.

During the visit, the MEA Joint Secretary also met with the Director General (Asian Affairs) of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and discussed bilateral trade and commercial issues.

Earlier this week, India said that it expects the authorities in China to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targetted, arbitrarily detained or harassed.

The strong statement came after an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh was arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities at the Shanghai International Airport last month, an incident which was termed by New Delhi as a clear violation of international norms and bilateral understanding.

“We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targetted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese side,” Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Monday.

“The MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to China or while transiting through the country,” he added.

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, had alleged that she was detained for 18 hours by the Chinese immigration officials during what was supposed to be a brief three-hour layover while travelling from London to Japan on November 21.

–IANS

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