Chinese envoy greets Mrs Gandhi in Vienna
From TARAPADA BASU, VIENNA, Oct 28.-A thaw in the SINOIndian relations was visible last night when Mrs. Gandhi was warmly greeted by the Ambassador of China in Vienna, Mr. Wang at the reception given by Chancellor Brune Kreisky, in her honour at the Federal Chancellary here. The exchange of greetings was observed by Austrian leaders and members of the diplomatic corps and many others present.
Ambassador Wang has recently arrived in Vienna where, it is gathered, China plants to set up a major mission.
There were further Snio-Indian exchanges at the reception between the Foreing Secretary, Mr. T. N. Kaul, and Ambassador Wang.
These Sino-Indian exchanges particularly after the congratulatory message sent by Mrs. Gandhi to Prime Minister Chou En-lai on China’s admission to UN may even lead to Mrs. Gandhi’s eventual visit to Peking after careful preparation on official level.
Prime Minister Chou visited India last when Mr. Nehru was India’s Prime Minister After his visit there was no retum visit from the Indian side.
It has been apparent for some time to the world that India is keen to improve relations with China and to have meaningful bilateral talks. Some western contacts of China suggested that China would respond to it.
Obviously such a visit and meaningful talks require ambassadorial representations both in New Delhi and Peking, but the current tension created by the Pakistani Military rulers over Bangladesh and the present international atmosphere with President Nixon’s proposed visit to Peking and Moscow next year are likely to expedite the matter, if China is truly interested in the matter.
Chancellor Kreisky was present for a while when Mr. Kaul was speaking to Ambassador Wang and Albania’s Charge d’Affaires.
Our Special Correspondent in New Delhi adds: Addressing the Consultative Committeee of Parliament for External Affairs in New Delhi today, the External Affairs Minister Mr. Swaran Singh was reported to have said. India would do her best for normalising relations with china and exchange Ambassadors if it was considered good for mutual relations.
He indeed, gave the impression that relations with China were already “normal,” except that the two countries did not have Ambassadors. But in the Indian Capital, the Foreign Office had been discussing various political and diplomatic affairs with the Chinese Charge d’Affaires all the while, Similar things had also been happening in Peking Mr. Swaran Singh reminded the committee.
Mr. Swaran Singh’s remarks on China, it appears, fit in with the prospect of the Prime Minister visiting Peking if circumstances require it, as understood from despatches from Vienna this evening. But on this point, there is no commitment yet.
The afternoon season of the committee was dominated by question on China. Mr. Swaran Singh, it is learnt, told the committee that India did not rule out Chinese assistance to Pakistan if there was an Indo-Pak conflict. But, he stressed, that chances of such an assistance were remote at the moment.
It was pointed out by some members that the attitude of China, vis a vis Bangladesh had not spoken even once against a free Bangladesh. They also pleaded for an early normalisation of relations between India and China, to start with, by exchange of Ambassadors.
It was Mr. C. D. Pande (Cong-O) who alone advocated the cause of Taiwan and sought to rouse a sense of fear of aggressive posture by China against smaller nations like Taiwan, Malaysia, Phillippines, etc.
Mr. Swaran Singh told him the fear was unreal. He questioned why the American forces did not face the Chinese anywhere if China was really a threat.
Mr. Swaran Singh indirectly hinted that China was not a threat to her smaller neighbours. At one point, he evenasked the questioners to remember that, even if India was a vast country, she had not for once threatened her neighbours like Ceylon, Nepal or Burma.
He said, India’s position with China should not be bracketed with USA’s India had good relations all the while, but the USA had none. So the USA had to negotiate with China through other means. (Warsaw, Paris etc.)
PTI adds: Mrs. Ghandi hit out at nations trying to equate India and Pakistan in regard to Bangladesh and the border tensions and said. “It is just not going to work.”
Mrs. Gandhi, who was addressing a crowded Press conference on the eve of her departure for London after a three-day visit to Austria, was answering questions mostly from the American and British journalists.
She asked which country in the world would have withstood the sort of political pressure as at present in India for action when threats of war have been hurled from Pakistan. “All that this self-restraint has got is verbal praise,” she said.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 28.10.1971