BEIJING, June 8: China and India should stick to the “right strategic perception” that they are not rivals but cooperative partners and opportunities for each other’s development, not threats, a top Chinese official said on Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a media briefing here in response to a question on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on Sino-India relations and Moscow’s efforts to maintain close ties with both of them during an interaction with heads of leading global news agencies, including PTI, on Thursday.
The China-India border situation is at the moment generally stable and the two sides have smooth communication, Lin said.
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“China and India need to have the right strategic perception that the two countries are cooperation partners, not competition rivals, and are opportunities, not threat, for each other’s development,” he said.
Beijing has been reiterating for a while that India and China should not regard each other as rivals but cooperative partners.
Lin’s response on Monday adds “right strategic perception” to that oft-repeated narrative.
“The two sides need to view and handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation, properly handle differences, and promote the sound and steady development of China-India relations,” he said.
On India’s concerns over China’s close ties with Pakistan, Lin said China has made clear its position on multiple occasions on India-Pakistan relations.
“We support the two sides in properly handling differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly keeping the region peaceful and stable,” he said, skirting a response to New Delhi’s concerns over Beijing’s close defence ties with Islamabad, especially its on-site technical support to Pakistan against India during Operation Sindoor.
Commenting on India, China and Russia ties, Lin said all three countries are emerging economies.
“Maintaining sound relations is not only in the respective interests of the three countries but also conducive to regional and global peace, security, stability and prosperity. China is ready to keep in communication with Russia and India on advancing cooperation among the three countries,” he said.
In his wide-ranging interaction with the heads of major global news agencies, including PTI, Putin praised both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping and said Russia’s decades-long partnerships with both New Delhi and Beijing grew naturally and are entirely independent of one another.
“This is a delicate, multi-faceted relationship between India and China, and interfering into them is not a good idea. Of course, we interact with both our friends — both India and China,” Putin said, responding to a question from PTI’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Vijay Joshi.
“President Xi and Prime Minister Modi are both trying to resolve all the issues of mutual interest, including the border issue,” Putin said.
Highlighting Moscow’s strategic equilibrium in Asia, Putin characterised Russia’s ties with India and China as having evolved organically. He stressed that Moscow’s growing synergy with New Delhi does not come at Beijing’s expense, just as Russia’s deep alliance with China does not compromise its bond with India. (PTI)
