‘Stable ties important’: China echoes PM Narendra Modi’s border stance

New Delhi, April 11

China said it had “noted” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in an interview to a magazine that for India, the relationship with China was important and significant.

The Prime Minister had also said, “It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us.”

Asked to react to the PM’s observations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said stable and peaceful relations between India and China were “important for not just our two countries, but the entire region”. The PM also said he believed that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, both sides would be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity in our borders.

Ning pointed out that China and India maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels on handling issues related to the border situation and had made positive progress. “We hope that India will work with China, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, keep building trust and engaging in dialogue and cooperation, and seek to handle differences appropriately to put the relationship on a sound and stable track,” she added. The relations between India and China have been frozen except for trade ties ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area. The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of corps commander-level talks to resolve the standoff. /PTI