As the Prime Minister heads for Beijing on Friday for talks with his counterpart Li Keqiang, Chinese state media is setting ambitious goals, urging New Delhi to build greater trust and galvanise economic collaboration, which will also leave a lasting imprint on Asia, Africa and Latin America.
“This is a chance for the two Asian neighbours to consolidate trust. The world’s two largest developing countries should become global partners for strategic coordination and jointly strive for a just and equitable international order,” observes a commentary in Xinhua , China’s official news agency. India and China are expected to sign more than a dozen government-to-government agreements after talks in the Great Hall of the People on Friday.
The write-up points out that the two powers must abandon a “zero sum mindset,” to take advantage of a new phase in their ties which could be “among the most important bilateral relationships.”
China Daily , a newspaper, known as the authentic voice of the Chinese government, has pointed out that apart from collaborating in infrastructure on account of being founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), joint ventures by the two countries in Africa, Latin America and the West Asia has emerged as an exciting possibility. “In Africa, Indian businessmen have done exceptionally well. They could help Chinese companies that have plans for the continent,” says Liu Jinsong, Deputy Director General in the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The daily stressed that on clean energy “the two countries should deepen their cooperation in new energy, such as wind power and solar power, while exploring ways to work together in the traditional energy sector”. “Renewable energy is a big ticket item on the visit,” a diplomat told The Hindu . With Trina Solar and Yingli Green among the companies at the forefront, China has emerged as the world’s largest investor in renewable energy.
Prior to Mr. Modi’s arrival, Sun Edison of the United States and Indian industrialist Gautam Adani had announced a $4 billion venture for making solar panels in Gujarat. “There is huge scope for bilateral cooperation in the service sector, too — from banking, securities and insurance to telecommunications and postal services,” says the China Daily .
“China is good at three areas such as high speed railway, nuclear power stations and electricity facilities,” Mr. Liu observed.
Sources point out that Mr. Modi’s visit will see an acceleration of tie ups between China’s provinces and India’s states — a novel development which is evident in the presence of the chief ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka in the Prime Minister’s entourage. The Chinese have also expressed considerable interest in infrastructure development in Andhra Pradesh, including the development of Amravati as the new capital of the State.
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and a powerhouse of enterprise, is already a sister city of Bengaluru. Analysts say that the province has already played a leading role in the rise of Shenzhen as China’s cyber-capital.
