New Delhi: In a bid to address sensitivities of India and China over a proposed trade pact, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath is leaving for Beijing tonight ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit from Sunday.

"Nath along with officials are going there a day in advance to work with their Chinese counterparts on the proposed Regional Trade Agreement between the two Asian giants," a senior Commerce Ministry official said. He said if Nath is able to sort out the issues relating to the sensibilities of the two countries, an important announcement could be made during the Prime Minister's visit.

A Joint Study Group on RTA has already given a go-ahead for the pact between the world's two fastest-growing nations. China has emerged as India's second-largest trading partner and the RTA is expected to boost the trade and investment further.

Bilateral trade, which had reached 24.86 billion dollars in 2006,increased by 50.3 per cent to $17.19 billion between January-June period of 2007.

Source : PTI