China’s Foreign Minister ‘heartened’ by stability in borders, says Beijing attaches ‘great importance’ to PM Modi’s visit

New Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said he is “heartened” to see the stabilisation of India-China ties and peace along the borders, stressing that Beijing attaches “great importance” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to China for the SCO Summit.

Speaking at Hyderabad House in New Delhi during the latest round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question with NSA Ajit Doval, Wang Yi said the setbacks in India-China ties in recent years were “not in the interest of the people of both countries”.

“I am very pleased to meet you again in New Delhi for this round of talks between the special representatives of China and India on the boundary question. The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interests of the people of our two countries. And then in October last year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi had an important meeting in Kazan. That meeting pointed the direction for the development of our bilateral relations and provided impetus for the proper settlement of the boundary question,” Wang Yi said in his opening remarks, delivered in Mandarin and translated into English.

Recalling the last round of SR-level talks, Wang Yi said China was encouraged by the progress.

“We had a very good 23rd round at the end of last year. We reached a new and important consensus on managing disagreements, stabilising the borders, and moving toward a settlement. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored,” he noted.

Appreciating NSA Doval’s role as India’s Special Representative, the Chinese Foreign Minister said the relationship now faces “an important opportunity of improvement and growth”.

He also emphasised that PM Modi’s visit next month would contribute to the success of the SCO Summit in Tianjin.

“The Chinese side attaches great importance to the Prime Minister’s visit to China to attend the SCO summit at our invitation. We believe that the Indian side will also make a contribution to a successful summit in Tianjin. History and reality prove once again that a healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both of our countries. It is also what developing countries all want to see,” Wang Yi said.

Calling for stronger bilateral engagement, the Chinese Foreign Minister urged both sides to “follow the strategic guidance of our leaders, increase mutual trust through communication, expand common interests through cooperation, and properly settle border issues.”

He added that China is ready to work with India to “build more consensus and identify the direction, the specific goals of the next round of boundary consultations going forward, and create more conditions for the improvement and further growth of our bilateral relations.”

IANS