INDIA, CHINA SHOULD SHED INHIBITIONS, MEET HALF WAY: CHINESE MINISTER
SHEDDING INHIBITIONS China’s foreign minister says both sides must support each other, avoid mutual suspicion
BEIJING: China and India should shed their “mental inhibitions” to manage differences and meet each other half way to strengthen bilateral ties, foreign minister Wang Yi said on Thursday, putting a positive spin on ties that was in marked contrast to the tensions caused by last year’s standoff at Doklam.
Wang said the two countries must do everything to focus on changes in the global situation and support each other while avoiding mutual suspicion and attrition. “Mutual trust”,he said, is the most precious commodity in bilateral relations.
“With political trust, not even the Himalayas can stop us from friendly exchanges,” he said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, while outlining Beijing’s foreign policy perspectives.
Speaking about the road ahead, he said: “Chinese and Indian leaders have developed a strategic vision for the future of our relations. The Chinese dragon and Indian elephant must not fight each other but dance with each other.
“If China and India are united, one plus one will become eleven instead of two,” he added
Last year, Wang had evaded a question on ties with India amid tensions over several issues such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and China’s opposition to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
At Thursday’s event, he answered a question on how China views its ties with India this year after the turbulence in 2017 caused by the Doklam standoff and other issues. “Despite some tests and difficulties, the relationship continues to grow,” he said.
Wang added: “China is upholding its rights and legitimate interests and taking care to preserve the relationship with India...I hope the two sides will be free from mental inhibitions and meet each other halfway.”
His reaction was sharper when he was asked whether the IndoPacific strategy floated by India, the US, Japan and Australia will affect China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Wang said that contrary to claims that the strategy is aimed at containing China, the four countries have made it clear that it targets no one.