Swaraj stresses on need to learn each other’s language

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday exhorted residents of both India and China to learn each other’s language, so as to enhance communication and improve bilateral relations through increased people-to-people ties.

The minister was speaking at a programme titled ‘Contribution of Hindi in India-China Friendship’ at a plush hotel in Beijing. The event, chaired by Swaraj, was attended by dozens of Chinese students and Hindi scholars.

“I want to say that the way India-China relations are strengthening, trade is increasing and we are working together on international forums, it has become increasingly important that you learn Hindi and we learn Chinese. This way, Indians won’t face any difficulty when they visit China, and the Chinese won’t require an interpreter when they visit India,” she said.

Later, a group of Chinese students recited Hindi poems and spoke about India-China bonhomie in a display of lingual expertise.

“China and India should continue promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and strive to consolidate the social basis of their bilateral relations.

BEIJING: The way IndiaChina relations are strengthening, trade is increasing, it has become increasingly important that you learn Hindi and we learn Chinese.

SUSHMA SWARAJ, external affairs minister, in Beijing

It is imperative to promote exchanges and interaction between the two societies, so our competition-dominated mindset is changed into a cooperationdriven one,” Rong Ying, south Asia scholar and vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, wrote recently.

Swaraj cited ‘Dangal’, ‘Secret Superstar’ and ‘Hindi Medium’ to stress that Hindi films are gaining popularity in China, but said an understanding of the language could improve the movie-watching experience.