India is ready to work with China to deepen leaders' friendship says Sushma Swaraj

Beijing, April 23: “Maintaining peace with the border areas with China was an essential prerequisite for the smooth development of bilateral ties,” stressed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the crucial talks held with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The cherry on the cake is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold informal meet with Chinese Prez Xi Jinping on April 27-28 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. 

Swaraj also announced that Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La route will be resumed this year. She said China has assured India of resuming the sharing of hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during the current year.

 

On Sunday, EAM Swaraj and Wang also exchanged views on cooperation onthe multilateral arena and discussed their perspectives on counter-terrorism and collaborative efforts to address other global challenges, such as climate change and sustainable development.

Swaraj congratulated Wang on being elevated as state councilor and appointed the special representative for the India-China boundary talks. “This shows how much trust your leadership has in your abilities. I think your new responsibilities will improve India-China relations,” she said. “We will work closely with the Chinese leadership to take India-China cooperation to new heights,” she said before the meeting. “While making efforts to progress our relations in diverse areas, we underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas is an essential pre-requisite for the smooth development of bilateral ties,” she said in a press statement with Mr Wang after the meeting.

Wang said socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, while India is at a critical period for its development and rejuvenation.

On this background, Xi and Modi decided to hold this informal meeting, which will help deepen mutual trust between the two leaders, make a strategic judgement on the world pattern and China-India relations, and guide the two countries to set new goals and open up new prospects for the the bilateral ties, Wang said. The last meeting between Xi and Modi took place in China's southeastern city of Xiamen last September after the ninth BRICS summit.

"This not only benefits the two countries and peoples, but will also exert significant and positive influence on regional and world peace and development," he added.

Calling the two nations "natural cooperation partners", Wang said their common interests far outweigh their disputes. "It is an inevitable choice of the two countries to stick to long-term friendship, mutual beneficial cooperation and common development."

He said the two countries will keep close coordination and make good preparations for the leaders' meeting, so as to help make it a "new milestone" in the history of China-India relations.

"The two countries should take the opportunity of the leaders' meeting to cement strategic trust, deepen substantial cooperation, properly settle disputes and realize common development, therefore contributing to regional and world peace and development," Wang said while holding talks with Swaraj.

Swaraj, said the decision to hold an informal meeting between the two leaders revealed the strong willingness of both sides to strengthen strategic communication.

India is ready to work with China to deepen leaders' friendship through the meeting, enhance trust between the two countries and promote India-China strategic cooperative partnership to a new high, she said during talks with Wang.

Swaraj will attend the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled for Tuesday in Beijing. At the joint press briefing, Wang said the two countries would enhance coordination on the SCO platform, and work together for fruitful outcomes of the upcoming SCO summit in east China's coastal city of Qingdao in June, with China taking the rotating chair.

The two countries will work with other member states to promote the SCO to play a more constructive role in boosting regional security and stability as well as prosperity and development, Wang said.

Sushma Swaraj arrived in China on Saturday for her four-day visit to take part in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) from Monday. She was received by Wang at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing ahead of their bilateral meeting.