Despite diplomatic tension, India-China trade reaches historic high of $84 billion

New Delhi, March 8: Despite diplomatic tension, the bilateral trade between India and China reached an all-time high of 84.4 billion US dollars in 2017.

A rare novelty of the bilateral trade was about 40 percent increase in Indian exports to China totalling 16.3 billion dollars.

The trade touched historic high despite bilateral tensions over a number of issues including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China blocking India's efforts to bring about a UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar, Beijing blocking India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group as well as the military standoff at Doklam.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Thursday called mutual trust an issue that needs to be addressed urgently between China and India. “When China and India, the two largest developing countries in the world, become modernized, the two countries must do everything to empathize with and support each other,” he said.

Stressing that shared understanding between the two countries far outstrips difference and common interests far outweigh frictions, Wang said China is willing and ready to carry on traditional friendship.