Chinese premier sends congratulatory message to PM Narendra Modi for third term

Premier Li Qiang said China is willing to work with India to “push forward bilateral relations in the right direction”.

Published on: Jun 12, 2024, 07:45:46 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the beginning of his third term, though there was no immediate response from the Indian side.

China's Premier Li Qiang delivers his speech (AFP file)

According to state-run Xinhua news agency, Li said the sound and steady development of China-India relations is not “only conducive to the well-being of the two peoples but also injects stability and positive energy into the region and the world”.

Li also said China is willing to work with India to “push forward bilateral relations in the right direction”.

Observers had noted that China’s top leadership had not sent any congratulatory message to Modi even after he had received messages from countries around the world.

On Saturday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to a congratulatory message from his Chinese counterpart by saying that India will make efforts to normalise ties with China on the basis of “mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity”.

“Thank you @MFA_China for congratulating PM @narendramodi on his election victory. Will continue to pursue efforts towards normalisation of India-China ties based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity,” Jaiswal said in a post on X.

India-China ties are currently at their lowest ebb because of the military standoff in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which began in May 2020 and is currently into its fifth year. The Indian side has consistently said the overall bilateral relationship cannot be normalised without peace and tranquillity on the border.

The Chinese side, on the other hand, has called for putting the border issue in its “appropriate place” in the overall relationship, while the two sides take forward ties in other areas such as trade and investment. Despite dozens of rounds of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides haven’t been able to address major “friction points” on the LAC such as Depsang and Demchok.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More