China's Hu set for maiden trip to India, Pakistan

Beijing, Nov 7: Chinese President Hu Jintao will make his maiden trip as leader to India and Pakistan later this month, China's foreign ministry said today amid reports of a possible free trade agreement between Beijing and New Delhi.

Hu will travel to India from November 20-23 and to Pakistan 23-26, following visits to Vietnam, where he will attend the APEC forum, and to Laos, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference. She did not give details.

Relations between China and India, the world's two most populous nations, were marred by a 1962 border war, and Mr Hu's trip will likely spur progress on resolving the row over their 3,500-km frontier, which remains contested.

The two sides appointed envoys in 2003 to negotiate a solution to the decades-old dispute but progress has been incremental.

Business however has begun to trump politics in the relationship.

Chinese state media reported yesterday that China was considering opening free trade talks with India, and bilateral trade is expected to reach more than 20 billion dollars this year.

Mr Hu will have to balance warming ties with India without upsetting Pakistan, a traditional friend of China's and New Delhi's nuclear rival.

China has been a major arms supplier to Pakistan and provides hundreds of millions of dollars in development financing.

REUTERS