Tibetan protester sets himself on fire, Hu leaves India for Pakistan
Mumbai (AsiaNews) A Tibetan protestor set himself on fire outside the hotel in Mumbai where Mr Hu was staying on the last day of his visit to India. The protesterwho said his name was Lhakpapoured kerosene on himself and set it alight shouting "Free Tibet" and "Hu is a killer" as police tried to douse the flames. The man, who was taken to a nearby hospital, sustained burns to his legs.
He was part of a group of protesters calling for the withdrawal of Chinese troops from Tibet and accusing China of trading with India on the back of human rights.
Except for a few incidents caused by Tibetan exiles, Hu's visit went smooth. In his speeches Hu was keen to stress China's desire to build political relations based on trust, consolidate business links and establish a strategic partnership to help make the 21st century an Asian century.
"China does not seek any selfish gains in South Asia and is ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace and development in the subcontinent," he said in a speech to business leaders, diplomats and politicians.
Hu stressed that his government sought harmonious relations with India as a friend, not a rival. China's and India's development plans are not mutually exclusive, he explained. Their economies are complementary and the two can build a synergy to improve their international competitiveness.
Mr Hu and Indian PM Manmohan Singh pledged to double Sino-Indian trade to US$ 40bn by 2010. They also promised to solve their border disputes over Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin and Indian-controlled Arunachal Pradesh.
Indians however remain suspicious of China. Beijing is in fact building a deep-water port on Pakistan's Arabian sea coast, as well as developing harbours or ports with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, as part of closer economic and military ties with India's neighboursall of which have not diminished suspicions over Beijing's motives.
China's preferential treatment of Pakistan is another issue.
Hu, who is bound for Pakistan tonight as he leaves India, said China welcomed Indo-Pakistani rapprochement, but it is almost certain that he will sign an agreement to expand Chinese assistance to Pakistan's nuclear power industry. A few days ago the United States approved a similar deal with India.
Despite some similarities, great differences between the two persist. Whilst both have a population that exceeds a billion people and have expanding economies, literacy rates are 96 per cent in China and only 68 per cent in India.
Indian exports of manufactured goods in the financial year ending last March were valued at US billion, compared with 3 billion for China
Never the less, in business terms India is favoured by the fact that English is one of its languages and that it is a democracy based on the rule of law.
China is instead a Communist dictatorship stained by the corruption of its ruling oligarchy.
This explains why some multinationals are already moving to the subcontinent part of the investment (up to 25-30 per cent) which they once put in China.
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