In the first congratulatory message from China’s top leadership to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for winning a third term, Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday said the sound and steady development of China-India relations is not only conducive to the well-being of the countries but also injects stability and positive energy into the region and the world, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He said Beijing is willing to work with New Delhi to “push forward bilateral relations in the right direction”. “China is willing to work with India to push forward bilateral relations in the right direction.”
This, however, came as the newly elected NDA coalition approved the renaming of 30 places in Tibet, signalling a strong response to China’s nomenclature aggression in Arunachal Pradesh. The names approved by Delhi, which is based on historical research and affiliation to the Tibet region, will be released by the Indian Army and updated on their maps along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Modi was sworn in as prime minister on June 9 for a record-equalling third term, heading the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. The Chinese foreign ministry on June 5 congratulated him on the victory of the NDA coalition in the general elections, saying both countries should look to the future to advance bilateral relations, frozen since the Galwan incident four years ago, on a healthy and stable track.
Relations between the two countries hit a low except for trade ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area near Galwan. “We noted the results of India’s general election and extend congratulations on the victory of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing.
A healthy and stable China-India relationship is in the interest of both the countries, and conducive to the peace and development in this region and beyond, Mao said while responding to a question by the official media seeking China’s comment on Modi’s win.
China stands ready to work with India to act in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, bear in mind the overall interest of our ties, look to the future and advance bilateral relations on a healthy and stable track, she said.
A day after that, however, China protested over Modi’s comment that he looked forward to having closer ties with Taiwan. His remarks came in response to a congratulatory message from Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on his election victory.
China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland even by force. India is pressing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.
For its part, China continues to maintain that the boundary question does not represent the entirety of China-India relations, and it should be placed appropriately in bilateral relations and managed properly. Once the Modi-led government begins its third term, attention is expected to turn to holding the 22nd round of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the deadlock over the disengagement in the Depsang and Demchok areas to revive the relations.
Ahead of India’s parliament elections, China last month appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as its new Ambassador to New Delhi after 18 months of delay.
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