Before hard talk, Delhi lauds ties
Foreign secy meets top Chinese official; Azhar, NSG on agenda
the visit was made clear by what he told the nationalistic and state-run tabloid Global Times in an interview in New Delhi last week. “For us, there are questions of sovereignty which need to be addressed first,” he told the newspaper.
“Counter-terrorism is one area in which China and India should make special efforts together.” “China has a very strong, principled position on counter-terrorism. We hope the position China already has will be further implemented,” he said, adding that discussions on the matter were ongoing with China.
Yang said, despite some problems, 2016 was a positive year.
“We truly hope that in the year ahead our two countries can enhance our exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation so that we can jointly contribute more to the peace, stability and development of our region and the world at large and deliver more benefits to our two countries and the whole world,” he said.
It remains to be seen how much is achieved in the strategic dialogue. There is little doubt – despite Yang’s statement – that Sino-India relations nosedived last year.
Gone were the heady days of 2014 and 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping went on diplomatic overdrive in Ahmedabad and Xian in central China. October 2015, when India signed in for the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), seems a long time ago.
As a Chinese academic, who did not want to be named, put it: “The honeymoon period is over.”
Experts feel the Azhar problem is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. “India must directly speak to Pakistan about it,” said the academic, adding China is unlikely to ditch Pakistan on this issue.
There are positive voices as well.
“It is particularly encouraging that the leaderships of China and India are aware of the important significance of a stable China-India relationship, having the consensus for an improved relationship between the two countries,” Guo Suiyuan, South Asia expert at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told Hindustan Times.
“The strategic dialogue may open a new channel for improving understanding. It is much needed at this point of time for the healthy development of China-India relationship,” Guo said.