From Jan. 13-15, Manmohan Singh undertook the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to China in five years. During his stay in Beijing, Singh met with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, President Hu Jintao, and other Chinese political and economic leaders. The summit showcased the improving Sino-Indian economic ties, but did not appreciably reduce the two governments' political-military "trust deficit." Furthering economic ties was an important objective of Singh's visit. A delegation of 20 Indian business leaders accompanied Singh and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath on the trip. The prime minister delivered a keynote address at an India-China Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Summit prior to his formal sessions with Chinese political leaders. The two countries are core members of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the widely used acronym for the world's most important emerging economies. From January to November 2007, bilateral trade between India and China exceeded $38 billion, an increase of 54 percent over the level achieved during the first 11 months of 2006. China and India are also the world's most populous nations, home to over one third of humanity.
China-India Summit Shows Improving Relations, but ‘Trust Deficit’ Persists
