China and India have ‘ability’ to foster friendly coexistence says Chinese official

The senior Chinese diplomat said China hopes to “accelerate” the resumption of practical cooperation with India

• Kimberly Rodrigues
• 27 September, 2023

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By: Kimberly Rodrigues

Charge d’Affaires at the Chinese embassy Ma Jia has expressed China’s desire to expedite the resumption of practical cooperation with India and highlighted the shared “ability” to establish friendly coexistence and collaboratively shape the ‘Asian century’.

At an event hosted by the embassy on Monday (25) to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of China, Ma also said the two countries need to jointly oppose “zero-sum games and keep our region away from geopolitical calculations”.

In her remarks, she also touched upon the eastern Ladakh border row.

“The two sides maintained communication through diplomatic and military channels to move the border situation from emergency response to normalised management and control,” she said, repeating what Beijing has been claiming on the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

India has been consistently maintaining that the situation at the border in eastern Ladakh is not normal and that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were key for normalisation of overall ties.

The senior Chinese diplomat said China hopes to “accelerate” the resumption of practical cooperation with India and both sides have the “ability and wisdom” to find a way for friendly coexistence and jointly create the ‘Asian century’.

“We hope to firmly stick to the correct direction of China-India relations. China and India are eternal neighbours who need to accurately understand each other’s strategic intentions, and to support and contribute to each other’s success instead of undermining and doubting each other,” she said.

The Chinese diplomat said bilateral trade has “performed strongly, and the trade volume reached USD 77.6 billion in the first seven months of this year”.

“China’s second centenary goal and India’s ‘Amrit Kaal’ development goal are the biggest strategic objectives for the two countries respectively,” she said.

(PTI)