BEIJING: China on Monday said it is ready to hold talks with India toresolve their differences on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“I noted the relevant report. Regarding the CPEC, China has repeatedlyreiterated our position. As to the differences between China and India,China stands ready to communicate and hold talks with India to seek aproper solution so that these differences will not affect our generalnational interests. This best serves the interests of the twocountries,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
She was responding to Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale’sinterview to state-run Global Timeslink>inwhich he had said that differences on the CPEC should not be swept underthe carpet,
“We should not ask one party alone to solve this problem. We are willing towork with India to work with dialogue and communication for a bettersolution,” Hua added.
“CPEC is merely an economic cooperation project. It has not targeted anythird party. We hope the Indian side can put this in perspective and westand ready to strengthen cooperation with the Indian side,” she said, asper PTI.
India has objected to the USD 50 billion CPEC as it passes throughPakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The CPEC is a network of infrastructure projects that are currently underconstruction throughout Pakistan that will connect China’s Xinjiangprovince with Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
India, China should resolve border differences in a calm way, says Beijing
Hua also said that India and China should look at their border differences,including over Dokalam, in a “calm way” and resolve them through existingmechanisms.
Reacting to Bambawale’s interview, she said that differences can beaddressed through existing mechanisms. “Indeed we have noted that theambassador talked about it while addressing the issue,” the Chinese foreignministry spokesperson said.
“I should say the two sides should look at border issues in a calm way andresolve relevant issues through the existing border-related mechanisms sothat we can create conditions and enabling the environment to properlysolve our differences,” she added.
Besides a mechanism to discuss border tensions, India and China also havespecial representative-level border talks to resolve the differences overthe disputed border.
About the new satellite imagery showing buildup by both sides, Huareiterated that Dokalam, over which Bhutan also claims sovereignty, isChinese territory and said China is building facilities in the area.
She referred to the 1890 treaty between UK and China and said, “the Sikkimsection of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by historic treatyand treaty under effective jurisdiction of China”.
“China has always upheld our sovereignty along the border area including(Dokalam) Donglang,” Hua said. About the satellite imagery, she maintained,”I should stress it (area) falls within China’s sovereignty that we conductfacility building in Donglang area. Some Indian media have carried reportsabout the military buildup and infrastructure building in the area. Theyare very excited about it.”
India and China ended a tense 73-day standoff on August 28, 2017, atDokalam area after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stopped building astrategic road close to India’s narrow ‘chicken’s neck’ area connecting thenortheastern states. – PTI