An editorial in China’s state-run tabloid Global Times has slammed a news report in a Hong Kong based daily that linked the large scale mining on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control with a larger plan to take control of Arunachal Pradesh.
“The report poked a sensitive spot in Sino-Indian ties but severely lacked factual evidence. The article was coarse, but was soon responded to by Indian media which were extremely excited to see such a topic,” the daily said, referring to the report that appeared on Sunday in the South China Morning Post.
The editorial said that “to many Chinese people, their first impression is that the report is not credible…It made people doubt the author's motive and speculate that he may be seeking to disturb Sino-Indian ties”.
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The write-up stressed that China-India ties were on the upswing following last month’s Wuhan informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Wuhan last month and his meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping, the two sides achieved major progress in strengthening mutual trust. Both countries have no intention of provoking border disputes and China is unlikely to kick-start an aggressive plan on territorial issues.”
The daily highlighted that after last year’s Doklam standoff, “Beijing and New Delhi increased their strategic communication and coordination in the border areas.”
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The edit “hoped that India will not be provoked by this report, lose focus on the big picture of the relationship between Beijing and New Delhi and get off the track of Sino-Indian cooperation”.
It counseled that the two governments, and not the media, which should “take the lead in solving border disputes, as the latter can easily mislead public sentiment”.
“Negotiations should be conducted by the two countries' professional diplomatic and security teams, which should present a solution acceptable to both parties and the two nations' societies.”