China Calls India “Partner Rather Than Rival”
(MENAFN) China’s top diplomat has described Beijing and New Delhi as potential drivers of each other’s growth, urging cooperation over confrontation during high-level talks in the Chinese capital.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday in Beijing, stated both nations should commit to the “important consensus” that “pose no threat to one another, and are partners rather than rivals.”
Doval’s trip comes in the wake of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan last month, marking the most senior Indian official to visit China since those clashes.
The Indian envoy, who also serves as the special representative on the ongoing boundary discussions with China, was in the country for the 20th meeting of security council secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The encounter reflects cautious but ongoing efforts to mend ties that had frayed due to a series of military standoffs in the disputed Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, Wang stressed the importance of fostering friendly ties: “The two countries should also adhere to the direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, strive for a mutually beneficial and win-win prospect, demonstrate the historical wisdom of the two ancient civilizations, properly handle sensitive issues, and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
India, in a separate statement, noted that both sides took stock of current bilateral dynamics and “underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations, including by fostering greater people-to-people ties.”
During the discussions, Doval also highlighted regional security concerns, asserting the importance of eliminating terrorism in every form. He “emphasized the need to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to maintain overall peace and stability in the region.”
The two officials also shared perspectives on a range of global and regional matters relevant to both sides.
The meeting occurred just as over 750 Indian nationals resumed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra — a sacred pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet — following a five-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. The traditional route, passing through Nathu La in Sikkim into southern Tibet, had been suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions.
In a sign of continuing high-level engagement, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is also set to visit China shortly for the SCO defense ministers’ summit in Qingdao, located in the eastern province of Shandong.
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