BEIJING: Gautam Bambawale, the Indian ambassador to China, on Fridaystressed that there is no anti-China mentality in Indialink>andcalled for maintaining the status quo on the international borders betweenthe two countries.
Referring to the Doklam border stand-off, Bambawale said that the issue wasblown out of proportion but it is important not to change the “status quo”at sensitive points on the India-China border.
Bambawale made these remarks in an interview to China’s state-run GlobalTimes.link>
During the interview, the Indian envoy said that post-Doklam, India andChina should hold candid talks to resolve contentious issues, including the$50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“I believe that you are blowing it out of proportion. The people of Indiaand China and our leaders are experienced enough and wise enough toovercome such momentary hurdles in our relationship,” Bambawale said.
He also rejected the notion that the Doklam row had damaged the Sino-Indiaties.
“I believe that in the post-Doklam period, India and China need to betalking to each other and conversing with each other much more than in thepast” at different levels including at the leadership level, he told thedaily of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC)link>knownfor its strident anti-India write-ups.
He also referred to media reports that China may try to make yet anotherattempt to build the road in Doklam near India’s Chicken Neck corridor,which led to the standoff.
Bambawale reiterated that it is important for both sides to not change the”status quo” at sensitive points.
The 73-day standoff at Doklam where Chinese military attempted to build aroad close to Chicken Neck corridorlink>hadsparked a new round of tensions at the border. It finally ended on August28 after China agreed to stop the construction of a road.
As the two sides made efforts to improve ties, officials here said a newincident of Chinese military’s attempts to build a road inside the Indianterritory in Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh has been resolved.
“In our conversations and discussions, it is important to talk to eachother and not talk past each other. We must be sensitive to the otherside’s concerns. Our interaction must be based on equality and mutualbenefit. Also, in the India- China border areas, especially at somesensitive points, it is important not to change the status quo. We need tobe clear about this,” he said.
Recent reports say that Chinese troops have been building facilities notfar from the standoff area. China asserts that Doklam, which is alsoclaimed by Bhutan, belongs to it.
Dispelling the notion that India and China are rivals, Bambawale also saidthere is no “anti-China mentality” in India.
“If India and China could hold the dialogue successfully we will understandeach other much better and we will build trust and confidence in eachother,” he said.
“With enhanced trust and understanding will come a stronger partnershipbetween India and China. I would like to say that India and China arepartners in development and progress. We are not rivals,” he said.
Answering a question, he refuted that there is an adverse sentiment inIndia against China.
“If you travel to India and meet the common people in our cities andvillages, you will come to know that they do not have an anti-Chinamentality. In fact, the people of India have great admiration for whatChina has achieved in economic development over the past four decades,” hesaid.
But at the same time “there are a few issues about which, we in India, havebeen focusing attention on”.
“The foremost is the large and growing trade deficit we face with China. In2017, the deficit for India is likely to be $55 billion,” he said andquestioned why China is not opening its markets to Indian pharmaceuticalsand IT products.
“For 20 years, we have been asking for the Chinese market to be opened forour pharmaceutical and IT products and services. To no avail. What do wemake of this? What conclusions should we draw? We should discuss suchissues frankly but also take steps to resolve them,” he said.
“Secondly, the CPEC passes through Indian-claimed territory and henceviolates our territorial integrity. This is a major problem for us. We needto talk about it, not push it under the carpet,” he said.
“I believe, the more we talk to each other, the easier it will become toresolve problems. Also, please don’t forget, there are many subjects – thevast majority of issues – on which we are already working together andwhere we can expand cooperation,” he said.
He suggested India and Chinalink>shouldwork together this year to have more summit-level meetings and officialmeetings besides enhancing exchanges of military personnel,parliamentarians, business persons, journalists, academicians, students,sportspersons and filmmakers.
Calling for more Chinese investments, he pointed to the success of Chinesetelecom firms in India.
“We would like them to manufacture at least some of their products inIndia” under ‘Make in India’ programme.
He said India and China also have common positions on many internationaland global issues. The prime example is that of climate change.
“We have been working together on this subject in the past and under thenew international circumstances it is especially important that we continueto work together,” he said, and congratulated Beijing city for improvingcity’s air by reducing pollution.