China: India ties developing with sound momentum’
BEIJING: PM NARENDRA MODI WILL MEET CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AT THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION SUMMIT IN JUNE IN CHINA
China on Thursday said its ties with India have been on an upswing recently and both sides have seen new achievements in political cooperation and various other fields.
Beijing said it wants to work with New Delhi to sort out their disputes to keep bilateral ties on the right track.
“Recently, thanks to concerted efforts from the two sides, China-India relations have been developing with a sound momentum. We have seen new achievements in political cooperation and various fields,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.
Kang was responding to questions about India’s attempt to improve ties with China, including shifting the event of Dalai Lama, who Beijing calls a “splitist”, from New Delhi.
“We attach importance to developing ties with India. We would like to work with India under the guidance of our two leaders, to maintain our exchanges at all levels, enhance trust and properly manage our differences and ensure that bilateral relations could move forward along the right track,” Kang said.
A sort of bonhomie seems to have returned between the two countries whose armies almost came to blows along the disputed border area of Doklam last year.
Both sides have stepped up bilateral talks, with a host of high profile visits lined up between them.
Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan was in India to discuss the yawning trade deficit between the two countries.
Defence and External Affairs Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Sushma Swaraj are due to visit China in April.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in June in China.
China on Thursday also said it supports friendly ties between India and Nepal and that New Delhi, Kathmandu and Beijing are important neighbours to each other and can work together for common development.
Beijing also praised Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli remarks about the Himalayan nation maintaining an independent foreign policy. “We commend the Nepali government’s commitment towards independent foreign policy. We also support Nepal developing friendly and positive relations with its neighbours,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.
“China, Nepal and India are important neighbours to each other. We hope these three could work together, have some sound interactions and achieve common development,” Lu added.