China attaches great importance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and looks forward to India’s active contribution to its success, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.
Wang, who reached New Delhi on Monday, said this in his opening statement at the 24th round of border talks with NSA Ajit Doval in Delhi.
His visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s planned trip to China to attend the annual SCO summit to be held in Tianjin on Aug 31 and Sept 1.
“China attaches great importance to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China to attend the Tianjin summit of the SCO and looks forward to India’s active contribution to the success of the summit,” Wang said.
Both Doval and Wang are the Special Representatives (SRs) for the India-China boundary question.
Wang emphasised that history and reality have repeatedly proven that the healthy and stable development of China-India relations serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and is also the common expectation of developing countries at large, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He said both sides should follow the strategic guidance of their leaders, adopt a dual-track approach that promotes mutual advancement and fosters a virtuous cycle in viewing and addressing bilateral relations and boundary questions.
The two sides should also enhance mutual trust through dialogue and communication, expand exchanges and cooperation, and jointly advance consensus, clarify directions, and set goals in areas such as boundary management, boundary negotiations, and cross-boundary exchanges, to properly address specific issues, achieve more positive progress, and continuously create favourable conditions for the improvement and development of bilateral relations, Wang said.
In his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, Wang said India-China relations are showing a positive trend towards returning to cooperation, stressing that the two countries should view each other as partners, not rivals, official media reported here on Tuesday.
He said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India, and lessons could be learned from the past, in an apparent reference to the over four-year freeze in ties following the Eastern Ladakh military standoff.
He said it is imperative for the two sides to have correct strategic perceptions, view each other as partners and opportunities rather than rivals or threats, and invest their valuable resources in development and revitalisation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The two countries should explore the right ways for major neighbouring countries to coexist with mutual respect and trust, pursue common development and achieve win-win cooperation, he said.
Wang said that China is willing to uphold the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and work together with neighbouring countries, including India, to jointly build a peaceful, secure, prosperous, beautiful and friendly home.
He added that the two countries should remain confident, move in the same direction, remove barriers, expand cooperation, and consolidate the improved momentum of bilateral relations.
He said with this, the revitalisation processes of the two great eastern civilisations can be mutually beneficial, providing certainty and stability to Asia and the world at large.
According to Xinhua, following the talks between Wang and Jaishankar, both countries agreed to maintain the momentum of bilateral ties.
Wang’s visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
In a veiled criticism of the US, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, said that the world is changing and the situation is evolving rapidly, with unilateral bullying practices becoming rampant.
Free trade and the international order face severe challenges as humanity reaches critical crossroads to determine the future direction of the world, he said.
