China has continued to remain upbeat about the future of India-China ties, pointing out that the “important consensus” that had recently been reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will keep the borders calm, and drive the relationship forward.
Brushing aside apprehensions that persisting tensions along the Sino-Indian frontier in Ladakh could undermine the gains of Mr. Xi’s visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, in response to a question, asserted that “this is [a] totally unnecessary suspicion.”
She stressed that “the two leaders [Mr. Xi and Mr. Modi ] have reached important consensus on politically resolving the border issue through friendly mechanism and we have an effective mechanism for the border issue … and through effective communication can resolve and control disputes.”
The summit had also yielded an agreement that “co-operation would remain the main theme” of Sino-Indian relations. The spokesperson especially pointed to Mr. Xi’s observation that harmony between the Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant “will bring benefits to [the] whole world”.
Ms. Hua observed that the ties had now entered a “new age,” but implied continued engagement, as Mr. Xi’s visit had removed “some of the suspicions” that the two countries had harboured.
The spokesperson said she was not aware of “the specifics,” when asked to comment on the cancellation of the visit of a Chinese media delegation to India. However, she pointed out that close communication between the Chinese and the Indian media was conducive for “cementing and developing public foundation of bilateral relations.”
