As Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his China visit, the Congress issued a wish list in New Delhi on Thursday, hoping he would not deviate from the time-tested India-China policy followed by previous governments.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said his party wanted Mr. Modi to address the trade imbalance between India and China, along with several contentious issues such as issue of stapled visas for residents of Arunachal Pradesh and opening up of the Chinese IT and pharmaceutical sectors for Indian industries.
“The Congress believes India should continue to maintain friendly relations with China based on mutual respect, with equanimity and without compromising on our democratic values. We hope the Prime Minister will take this time-tested policy forward,” he said.
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Mr. Surjewala said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance had sanctioned a Mountain Strike Corps with a budgetary allocation of nearly Rs. 65,000 crore and a strength of 90,000 troops to counter China along the Line of Actual Control. The Modi government, however, reduced the budget for the corps and cut down the strength by half.