Foreign ministry welcomes Indian FM appointment

China’s foreign ministry congratulated Vijay Keshav Gokhale on becoming India’s new foreign secretary on Wednesday and said that China and India could maintain and promote good ties.

“China would like to work with the Indian side to enhance political mutual trust, win-win cooperation, control disputes and push Sino-Indian ties to develop on the right track under the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which was supported by both sides,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily briefing for international reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.

Hua’s remarks came in response to Gokhale’s appointment as India’s new foreign secretary. Some Indian media consider Gokhale an expert on China and noted that he was India’s Ambassador to Beijing when the Doklam standoff erupted in June.

Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that in comparison with his predecessor S Jaishankar, Gokhale might adopt an even tougher approach toward China.

“Gokhale will implement Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East diplomacy – trying to contend with China by establishing closer ties with ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] countries and enhancing India’s influence in Southeast Asia,” Hu said.

“India also actively responds to US policies on containing China by meddling in the South China Sea issue,” Hu said.

Instead of apologizing, the Modi administration has kept making trouble all along the ChinaIndia border ever since the Doklam standoff, Hu said.

He was not too optimistic about future ties, he explained.

“Instead of making trouble, Gokhale and other Indian politicians and officials should do more to improve ties,” Hu said.