Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday said that India has raised the issue of Chinese construction activity in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during discussions between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“Chinese construction activity in PoK is a cause of concern for us. We raised the issue during talks. We flagged our concerns. We were assured that they are development projects,” Khurshid said on Tuesday.
He said that both the leaders held “very specific” discussions and did not “shy away from anything”. He replied in negative when asked if the South China Sea issue came up during the talks.
Li Meets Chavan
Li Keqiang on Tuesday also called on Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan in Mumbai on Tuesday. The talks focused on possible Chinese investments in industries, infrastructure and pharmaceutical sectors.
The CM reportedly told Li, that there was a huge potential for Chinese investments in the state, particularly in the backward regions. Chavan had also indicated his willingness of the state to carve a special investment zone if Chinese companies evinced interest in making investments in the state.
Meanwhile, in a goodwill gesture, Li also met the family of late Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis -- a Maharashtra physician who treated wounded Chinese solders in the second Sino-Japanese war in the 1930s -- in Mumbai.