India, China should not pose threat to each other: Beijing

On the dragging border conflict that has plunged bilateral ties to their worst in decades, the Chinese foreign ministry said the two sides have an ‘effective’ dialogue mechanism to resolve it.

Beijing: China on Friday soft-pedalled external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s statement that Beijing’s actions on the border have put ties in an “extremely difficult phase”, saying the two countries, instead of posing a threat to each other, should provide each other “development opportunities”.

India has consistently dismissed Beijing’s allegations of acting in a provocative manner since the standoff began in May 2020. (AP)

On the dragging border conflict that has plunged bilateral ties to their worst in decades, the Chinese foreign ministry said the two sides have an “effective” dialogue mechanism to resolve it.

Recalling Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s remarks that an Asian century will happen when India and China come together, Jaishankar on Thursday squarely blamed China for the ongoing Sino-India border tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

“But the Asian century will be difficult to happen if India and China don’t come together. And one of the big questions today is where India-China relations are going,” Jaishankar said, addressing a gathering of diplomats, academics and students at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on Thursday.

“Because at the moment, the relationship is going through an extremely difficult phase because of what the Chinese have done in the last two years in our border areas,” the Indian minister said.

Jaishankar’s speech was titled “India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific”.

New Delhi has consistently dismissed Beijing’s allegations of acting in a provocative manner since the standoff began in May 2020, and said that it was the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which trespassed across the LAC in eastern Ladakh and triggered the tension..

Reacting to Jaishankar’s statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said: “A true Asia-Pacific century or Asian century can come only when China, India can and other countries can achieve sound development. China and India or two ancient civilisations, two emerging economies and two big neighbours.”

“We have far more common interests than differences”, he said that the two countries have the “wisdom and capability to reinforce each” rather than wear each other down.

“It is hoped that the Indian side can work with China in the same direction to follow through on the common understanding between our two leaders on being each other’s cooperative partners, not causing threats to each other and presenting each other with development opportunities,” Wang said at the regular ministry briefing on Friday.

That would help Sino-India ties to “…come back to the right track of sound and steady development at an early date and uphold common interests of China, India and the developing world,” Wang said.

On a separate, border-related question on disengagement of troops, Wang said: “To start I would like to stress that China-India maintain smooth communication over the border issues. The dialogue is effective.”

Wang was also asked to respond to Jaishankar’s comment on the Quad that the Indo-Pacific region will benefit from the Quad (India, US, Australia and Japan) and opposition to the four-nation bloc is possibly a “unilateralist opposition to collective and cooperative endeavours”.

“China’s position on Quad is consistent and clear. I would like to stress that in a world of peace, cooperation and openness it will get no support if one seeks to create small cliques because it is against the trend of the times,” Wang said