NEW DELHI (CU)_As India prepares to participate in the first ever meeting of the leaders of the Quadrilateral grouping, Beijing claims that India and China should stop “undercutting” each other and create “enabling conditions” between the parties.
These comments were made by Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his annual press conference on Sunday (7 March).
US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison are set to meet this week, as leaders of the Quadrilateral grouping, with the intention of working together to “for the peace, prosperity and stability of the Indo Pacific”.
However, Beijing views the Quad with suspicion, with Wang dismissing the group’s revival three years ago, as a “headline-grabbing” idea that would get attention but “soon dissipate”.
Since then, several incidents have influenced New Delhi’s bilateral relations with Beijing, particularly after the standoff along the LAC in June which killed 20 Indian troops.
However, on Sunday, Wang said that the dispute regarding the boundary was “an issue left from history,” and “not the whole story of the China-India relationship”. These views are a reflection of Beijing’s recent position in relation to the border standoff, with the communist regime saying the issue should not be placed at the front and centre of the relationship but at a “proper place” in overall ties.
Meanwhile, India has maintained that there should be an incremental approach toward a resolution regarding the boundary situation, which will lead to peace along the LAC, thereby eventually normalising ties between the two countries.
When inquired on how Beijing viewed its relationship with New Delhi, Wang said that it is important for the parties to “manage disputes properly” while enhancing cooperation that would enable them to settle the dispute.
He claimed that the world expected both China and India to protect the interests of developing nations, and that these similar conditions mean that the two countries share “the same or similar positions” on many major issues.
“China and India are each other’s friends and partners, not threats or rivals […],” Wang said. “The two sides need to help each other to succeed instead of undercutting each other. We should intensify cooperation instead of harbouring suspicion at each other.”
He added that the parties are committed to settling the boundary dispute “through dialogue and consultation”. “At the same time, we are resolved to safeguarding our sovereign rights,” he said.
Moreover, the Minister claimed that both sides have an obligation to solidify the existing consensus, strengthen dialogue and improve the various mechanisms put in place to jointly safeguard peace in the border areas.
