Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met in Beijing Friday and signed 24 agreements worth $10 billion covering various sectors that could benefit their countries and strengthen their ties.
Climate change is one of the issues that the two leaders hope to address. Being two of the top greenhouse gas emitters, India and China have agreed to boost their efforts to lessen carbon emission.
The two leaders referred to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol as "the most appropriate framework for international cooperation for addressing climate change" in a joint statement, and they declared that they will ensure the "full, effective and sustained implementation" of such framework.
In the same statement, they advised developed countries to aim for higher pre-2020 emission reduction targets and to push through with their commitment to give $100 billion to developing countries every year starting in 2020. Both countries are adopting local measures to combat climate change in spite of the "enormous scale of their challenges in terms of social and economic development and poverty eradication," the statement said.
Modi and Li have also agreed to establish an action plan between the National Railway Administration of China and the Ministry of Railways of India to improve cooperation in the railway sector.
The two leaders plan to set up a Yoga College, reportedly in Kumming in the province of Yunnan, China. For this project, an MoU was signed between the Yunman Minzu University and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Many other aspects were included in the 24 agreements signed by the two top leaders from Asia, including MoUs on setting up consulates on Chengdu and Chennai, launching an education exchange program, outlining the protocols on health and safety regulations regarding the import of Indian Rapeseed Meal, creating India-China think tanks, starting a consultative mechanism for cooperation in trade negotiations, and strengthening collaboration in vocational education and skill development.
Modi and Li have also signed agreements to establish sister-state/province relations between Karnataka and Sichuan, sister city relations between Chennai and Chongqing, sister city relations between Hyderabad and Qingdao, and sister city relations between Aurangabad and Dunhuang.
Modi said, "Today, we have signed over 20 agreements, covering diverse areas of cooperation." He added, "This shows the depth and maturity of our relationship and the positive direction of our partnership," according to The Hindu.
Although Modi and Li have signed a record 24 agreements to enchance cooperation between the two countries, they are still at a roadblock on the issue of the century-old border dispute. According to Modi, he and Li have decided to look into a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable" solution to the conflict on border claims.
"The solution we choose should do more than settle the boundary question. It should do so in a manner that transforms our relationship and not cause new disruptions," Modi said, according to the BBC.
Li agrees and states that they have enough political wisdom to settle their differences. He said, "Our common interests are far bigger than our differences," BBC reports.
