BEIJING: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has reiterated that China’s position on the boundary issue between China and India is clear and consistent.
It is left over from history and does not represent the entirety of China-India relations, while calling on the two countries to consider the overall situation of bilateral relations, properly handle the border issue, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at Friday’s regular press briefing after Chinese President Xi Jinping talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at the latter’s request on Wednesday.
Analysts said that the talk between leaders from China and India on the sidelines of the BRICS summit has laid a cornerstone for stabilizing bilateral relations. China and India are two of the largest developing countries, and cooperation between them rather than friction is in the interests of both countries, analysts noted, urging India not to focus on only differences while ignoring the larger room for cooperation.
Xi talked with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit at the latter’s request on Wednesday, during which the two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday.
Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability and development of the world and the region. The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border region, according the ministry.
Border issues should be placed in an appropriate position in bilateral relations and resolved through peaceful and friendly negotiations to find a just, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution, Wang, the spokesperson said.
Before the border issue is resolved, both China and India should jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, Wang said.
We hope to work together with India to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome disturbance and difficulties, and push bilateral relations onto a healthy and stable track, said Wang.
The leaders from both countries have played a pivotal role in strategically guiding the bilateral relations and contributed to stabilizing their ties, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Friday.
China and India have both also emphasized that the improvement of bilateral relations is in the common interests of both countries, and agreed to properly handle border issues, to create the appropriate conditions and political atmosphere for a possible formal bilateral summit between China and India in the near future, said Qian.
It is also clear that both sides have a consensus to ease tensions, and will make efforts to resolve their differences through the mechanism of peaceful consultation, and push forward the bilateral relations, Qian noted.
China and India had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector during the 19th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting, which was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13 to 14.
The two sides agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels.
