Rao disagrees with Chinese envoy, says ties strong

Disagreeing with Chinese Ambassador's view that Sino-Indian ties were fragile, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday said they were much more "strong" now as compared to three decades back.

Disagreeing with Chinese Ambassador's view that Sino-Indian ties were fragile, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday said they were much more "strong" now as compared to three decades back.

HT Image

"India-China relations, if you go by the record of three decades at least, I would, in fact, argue that it has become stronger. That the foundations have become much more stable," Rao said when asked if she agreed with China's Ambassador to India Zhang Yan's remarks that India-China relations were very fragile and required special care.

While addressing a conference earlier this week, Zhang had said that "China-India relations are very fragile and very easy to be damaged and very difficult to repair. Therefore, they need special care in the information age."

Rao said, "It is true that there is a certain tendency, perhaps, to regard... certain angles of the relationship are focused on, and given a certain eminence and certain prominence.

"But we who are actually practicing it (diplomacy) understand that this interaction between India and China has grown over the years and has become far more stable and foundations are far stronger than they were 20 years or 30 years ago," she said.

She said "they have become stronger, the foundation of this relationship has become much more stable.

"I certainly don't subscribe to what I shall say extreme judgements about fragility or the fact that one issue on which we have a difference or one issue of complexity can shake the relationship at its very foundation," the Foreign Secretary said, but added quickly that it no way means that she was discrediting the Chinese envoy's professional capacities.

"He is an excellent diplomat," she added.