Beijing says boundary issue doesn’t represent the entirety of China-India relations

Beijing: China today stated that the boundary dispute with India “does not represent the entirety of China-India relations, and it should be placed appropriately in bilateral relations and managed properly”.

China was responding to an interview given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Newsweek, where he called upon Beijing to “urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning pointed out that China and India maintain close communication through diplomatic and military channels on handling issues related to the border situation “and have made positive progress”.

She said China had “noted” Modi’s remarks where he raised the boundary issue. Modi, while stating that stable and peaceful relations between India and China were important for the entire region, hoped that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, both countries would be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity in their borders.

“We hope that India will work with China, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, keep building trust and engaging in dialogue and cooperation, and seek to handle differences appropriately to put the relationship on a sound and stable track,” Ning said.

Beijing concurred with Modi’s opinion that sound and stable China-India relations served the interests of both countries and were conducive to peace and development in the region and beyond. Modi had said that for India,  the relationship with China “is important and significant”.

– global bihari bureau