Beijing, June 27 (IANS) India and China should be patient in resolving their long-standing border issue though "difficulties remain high", a senior official here has said, falling back on a Chinese metaphor to buttress his point. He also suggested that too much focus on the border issue might not be helpful.
A solution would work out in the course of time, just like "a watermelon, which when ripe will come down on its own", said Ma Jisheng, deputy director general of the foreign ministry's information department.
"More haste on the issue would lead to less speed," Ma told a group of visiting Indian journalists, adding that the talks should be backed by more cooperation and feelings in relations in the political field.
He noted that the joint working group on the border had "achieved some progress but difficulties remain high".
Ma also said that "too much focus" on the issue was a deterrent. "Change the ways and eyes and that will give a different approach to solving the issue," Ma said.
The two countries held their 15th round of border talks in New Delhi in January between Chinese special representative, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, and Indian special representative, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. The next round of talks is to be held in China.
In separate interactions with the Indian journalists, Chinese officials, including senior women officers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) , and experts on Sino-Indian affairs stressed that while the border issue involved "core national interests", it should not be allowed to dictate bilateral ties in other spheres.
Ma said the two countries should follow a two-track policy - hold talks away from the spotlight on the border issue while continuing to boost their ties in the economic, cultural, educational and other fields.
"Negotiations on the border issue should be on one track, and on other track the economic, cultural ties should go on," he said.
He said bilateral trade has jumped manifold in the last decade - from $2.9 billion in 2000 to $73.9 billion in 2011. "If all the attention had been on the border issue, then trade would not have jumped," Ma said.