Thursday, March 24 2005 10:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Observing that Indo-China border has recently been tranquil and bilateral ties are flourishing, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh yesterday (Mar 23, 2005) said the 1962 "hang-up" had ended in 1988 when then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi undertook a visit to that country.

"It took 18 months to prepare the country for the visit of the Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi). There was a lot of resistance, including from within the Congress (to the visit)," he said here after releasing a book 'Making sense of Chindia' authored by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Singh said he had persuaded Rajiv Gandhi to undertake the visit, pointing out that he could take bold decisions as he had a brute majority of 414 members in Lok Sabha, was the grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru and son of Indira Gandhi.

"When Rajiv Gandhi went to China in 1988, the hang-up of 1962 was shed," the External Affairs Minister who had accompanied the then Prime Minister said.

"Now the Indo-China border is tranquil. Relations are flourishing and trade is increasing, touching $ 13.6 billion last year," he said.

The Minister noted that Indian companies are establishing themselves in China and economic relations are soaring.

He said that the stress on economic relations was reflected by the fact that Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao had chosen to begin his upcoming India tour by a visit to Bangalore to see how what India is doing economically.

Ramesh said that the two countries were "prisoners of old mindset", which needed to be shed for enhancing business between the two economic giants.