Beijing: Fostering close ties with India is of great importance for China for its perimeter security and stability, a leading English daily of China said on Tuesday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit from May 14 to 16, and described the Indian leader as a pragmatist rather than a visionary.
“Ever since Modi assumed office, he has taken the initiative to actively develop India’s relationships with Japan, the US, and European countries in no time, in order to promote the country’s poor infrastructure construction and economic development,” the Global Times stated in an opinion piece headlined “Can Modi’s visit upgrade Sino-Indian ties?”
“But his diplomatic moves last year have proven that he is a pragmatist, rather than a visionary,” the article, written by Hu Zhiyong of the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said.
According to the writer, Modi has been boosting India’s ties with neighbouring countries to compete with China “while trying to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities for economic development created by China”.
“Modi has also been playing little tricks over border disputes and security issues, hoping to boost his domestic prestige while increasing his leverage in negotiations with China,” the article stated.
Observing that the ball was in India’s court for developing bilateral relations, it said: “For China, developing friendly cooperation with surrounding countries has always been the foothold of its diplomacy. Fostering close ties with India, China’s largest neighbour in South Asia, is of great importance to China’s perimeter security and stability.”
According to Hu, historical feud and mutual mistrust stemming from geopolitics has resulted in the two sides never establishing real strategic trust.
“Leaders from both China and India should not only strengthen mutual political trust, but also stick to a series of agreed principles and match their rhetoric with action,” the article said.
“In light of this, Modi should no longer visit the disputed border region in pursuit of his own political interests, nor should he deliver any remarks that infringe on the consensus on bilateral ties.”
It also said that “the Indian government should completely stop supporting the Dalai Lama, and stop making the Tibetan issue a stumbling block to the Sino-Indian relationship”.
Dwelling on bilateral trade the article said that “despite the fact that China has already become India’s largest trading partner, India’s trade deficit with China keeps rising sharply”.
“New Delhi is reluctant to admit the widening trade gap is its own fault, nor is it willing to examine its own economic structure and the quality of its exports to China. Instead, it has been repeatedly accusing or directing its anger at China,” Hu wrote.
“The Indian government should loosen up on the limits of cross-border trade with China, reduce the trade deficit, improve the efficiency of government administrations, and relax the visa restrictions, in order to attract more Chinese companies to invest in India.”
The writer also underlined the importance of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Observing that both Chinese and Indian people lack the most basic mutual understanding and interactions, the article said: “Due to the Indian elites’ blind arrogance and confidence in their democracy, and the inferiority of its ordinary people, very few Indians are able to treat Sino-Indian relations accurately, objectively and rationally. Worse, some Indian media have been irresponsibly exaggerating the conflicts between the two sides, adding fuel to the hostility among the public.”
Calling for deepening of bilateral relations through concerted efforts by politicians from both sides, it said: “Modi should seize the chance of his China visit to enhance bilateral cooperation.”
