After prolonged talks & sans a favourable Chinese response India has reconciled to set up its Consulate in Chengdu. China ignored India’s proposal to re-establish its Consulate in provincial capital of Tibet Lhasa. The Consulate in Lhasa was closed during the 1962 war.
Chengdu is the capital of the China’s well industrialised province of Sichuan. It shares geographical proximity to Tibet. Considering recent improvement in relations between India & China this move is expected to further firm up diplomatic ties and expand trade between the two countries. Several other countries including the United States have Consulates in Chengdu.
This will be India’s latest Consulate in China. Besides the Embassy in Beijing, India currently has three other Consulates in China, viz., in Shanghai and Guangzhou and in Hong Kong, which is termed as a Special Administrative Region.
India on its part has permitted China to open its third Consulate in India in Chennai. For China, Chennai will mark a new opening in South India where it is looking to step up investments in the country’s most developed regions. China is likely to undertake a feasibility study to build a high speed railway connecting Chennai and New Delhi.
China has its Consul General missions in Mumbai and Kolkata apart from its Embassy in New Delhi.
The official statement in this regard this is likely to be made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May.
China has agreed to open a new land route for Indian pilgrims to travel to Kailash Mansarovar through Nathu La Pass. Yet it remains reluctant to permit re-establishment of the Indian Consulate in Lhasa. This could be perhaps due to its political sensitivities in Tibet. Nepal is the only country to have a Consulate in Lhasa.
Chengdu houses the Chengdu Military Command overseeing the India-China border region along Tibet. Chengdu is also a prominent tourist destination and a famous breeding centre for giant Pandas.
Defence & Security Monitor 