China proposes 3way summit with India, Pak

India doesn’t see thirdparty role in ties with Islamabad

NEWDELHI: China on Monday proposed a first-of-its-kind trilateral summit with India and Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) but New Delhi swiftly dismissed the suggestion, saying there is no role for any third country in its ties with Islamabad.

In a wide-ranging speech at a seminar organised by the Chinese embassy and Indian bodies, Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui also said that ties between India and China would not be able to take the strain of another Doklam-like standoff.

Luo proposed that India and China sign a treaty of friendship and cooperation, negotiate a free trade agreement and work for “early harvest” in their longstanding boundary dispute.

The envoy’s speech came against the backdrop of efforts by the two sides – including the informal summit between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April and another meeting on the margins of the SCO Summit in Qingdao this month – to reset their relationship following last year’s 73-day military standoff at Doklam, or Donglang, at the India-bhutan-tibet tri-junction.

“China-india ties have gone beyond bilateral scope…we should continue to push forward ‘China India Plus’ cooperation. Security cooperation is one of three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the framework of SCO,” he said.