NEW DELHI: Responding to comments made on India and China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview given to Newsweek, China on Thursday said that “sound and stable” ties serve the common interests of Beijing and New Delhi.
PM Modi had said that ties with Beijing are important and the “prolonged situation” at the borders should be addressed urgently. Modi also expressed hope that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, the two countries will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquility at their borders.
“We believe that sound and stable China-India relations serve the common interests of both sides and are conducive to peace and development of the region and beyond,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing.
PM Modi had said, “It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us. Stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just our two countries but the entire region and world.”
Meanwhile, spokesperson Mao Ning said the boundary question does not represent the entirety of the India-China relations. “It should be placed appropriately in the bilateral relations and managed properly. India and China are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels,” the spokesperson added.
“We hope India will work in the same direction with China, handle the bilateral relations from the strategic heights and long-term perspective, enhance mutual trust, stick to dialogue and cooperation, handle differences properly, and put the bilateral relations forward on sound and stable track,” she said.
The relations between India and China deteriorated in 2020 after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) advanced into areas claimed by New Delhi. In June of that year, a violent clash, the deadliest confrontation between India and China in over four decades, in Galwan further ruptured the ties.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh criticised China for renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, and wondered whether a similar attempt by India will result in those areas of the neighbouring country becoming “parts of our territory”.
Govt gives priority to country’s security: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that the Centre decided to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) because the government gives top priority to the country’s security. The situation in Myanmar is very difficult as the authority of the government does not work, he said after releasing the BJP manifesto in Aizawl. “We are sensitive to relationships across the border but the condition in Myanmar is very difficult. We are taking precautions as the neighbourhood is going through a difficult stage,’’ Jaishankar said.