India, China target $100 billion business by 2015

New Delhi, May 20: Putting behind the border dispute, which the Indian envoy call as 'complicated', India and China today sought to improve their bilateral relations and signed eight agreements to enhance cooperation in trade, culture and water resources.

The agreements were signed at the end of the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

The eight agreements are:

1. To enhance trade, Services Trade Promotion Working Group, Economic And Trade Planning Cooperation Group and Trade Statistical Analysis Group have been set up. Under this pact the two countries have set a target of $100 billion by 2015 for bilateral trade.

2. A pact on Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims will make further improvements to the existing facilities for the pilgrims including providing them with wireless sets and local SIM cards. The Kailash Mansrovar Yatra will be conducted every year from May to September.

3. Under another pact China will provide information of water level, discharge and rainfall twice a day from June 1st to October 15th each year in respect of three hydrological stations on the mainstream Brahmaputra river.

4. A separate Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the India's Ministry of Water Resources and China's National Development and Reform Commission for cooperation in the field of ensuring water efficient irrigation.

5. A pact on trade and safety of buffalo meat, fish products will ensure regulatory requirements with respect to safety, hygiene and quarantine of such products.

6. An MoU was also signed between the Ministry of Urban Development and National Development and Reform Commission of China on cooperation in the field of sewage treatment.

7. On cultural front, an agreement will allow coordination on translation and publication of 25 books of classic and contemporary works of each side over a period of five years into Chinese and Indian languages.

8. Another pact is on cooperation and linkages between cities and provinces of the two countries. Both sides agreed to identify "sister cities" and "sister states/provinces" to establish relationship in areas of mutual interest for enhancing greater people-to-people contacts.

OneIndia News