As US president Donald Trump continues targets India and China over its trade ties with Russia, Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong has called on New Delhi and Beijing to join hands to oppose political power, hegemony and any other tariff and trade wars.
In an address on Tuesday, the Chinese envoy to India presented a four-point approach which would help advance relations between India and China, which would include the “right way” to get along with each other.
Xu said that India and China countries should not allow the boundary situation to define the current relations, adding that bilateral trade should be expanded as it has “great potential”.
In his speech during an event which marked the 76th anniversary of the founding of China, Xu said it is important that China and India “firmly oppose hegemony, power politics and any form of tariff and trade wars”, and join hands to defend the common interests of the Global South.
“As two major ancient civilisations and large developing countries, the relationship between China and India has transcended bilateral scope and bears global and strategic significance,” he said.
“The two sides should aim high, plan for the long term and find the right way to get along with each other in the spirit of mutual respect and trust, peaceful coexistence, common development and win-win cooperation,” the envoy added further.
The envoy’s remarks come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China’s Tianjin city.
Referring to the Modi-Xi talks in China, the envoy said Beijing is ready to work with New Delhi to follow the “guidance of the important common understandings between our two leaders, and advance China-India relations on the track of sound and stable development”.
Trump targets India, China at UN
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, President Trump accused India and China of fueling the war in Ukraine.
“China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil,” said Trump in an address at UNGA.
“They have to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia. Otherwise we’re all wasting a lot of time,” he added.
India-China ties have ‘great potential’
Speaking at the event, Xu further said the China-India economic and trade cooperation continues to expand and has great potential.
“From January to August this year, bilateral trade in goods grew 10.4 per cent year-on-year to USD 102 billion,” he said, adding that China is ready to work with India to strengthen the mutually-beneficial cooperation make a “bigger pie” of common interests.
“By September 22, the Chinese embassy and consulates in India issued over 2,65,000 visas to Indian citizens. We are ready to advance friendly exchanges with India at all levels and in all sectors, and further deepen mutual understanding and friendship,” he said.
“We should carry forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence, and truly respect each other’s core interests and major concerns. We should not allow the boundary question that was left over from the past to define the current China-India relations, nor let specific differences affect the comprehensive bilateral cooperation,” the envoy added.
(With PTI inputs)
