China Heaps Praise On 'Old Friend' Modi

NEW DELHI: In its first official engagement with India after the change of guard here, Beijing’s statecraft again came to the fore as visiting foreign minister Wang Yi used nothing short of a panegyric to PM Narendra Modi to reach out to the new government.

Wang is in India as a special envoy of President Xi Jinping. In his first meeting with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, which lasted for three hours, Wang showered encomiums on the NDA government led by Modi, even saying it had injected a “new vitality into an ancient civilization”. Modi, Wang said, was an old friend of China.

Outlining ancient links between the two countries, Modi had earlier regaled Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with a reference to the travels of Hiuen Tsang in their telephonic conversation, saying the Chinese scholar had even visited his village Vadnagar during his stay in India in the 7th century. Li was the first foreign leader to call Modi after he assumed office.

READ ALSO: Narendra Modi charms Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with Hiuen Tsang story

Without getting into the specifics, Indian officials said “all perennials'' of China-Indian relations were discussed in a “frank manner” during the meeting. This included the need for resolving the contentious border issue and Beijing’s insistence on giving residents of J&K and Arunachal Pradesh stapled Chinese visas, it is learned.

Wang, who promised support for India’s economic development, insisted that the dreams of both China and India have commonalities and that Beijing was ready to engage with the new government. Foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin described the talks as “cordial, useful, substantive and productive”.

“Even while there was a determination to add new content and substance to the relationship, there was an understanding that respect for the sensitivities and aspirations of each other was essential for expansion of bilateral relations,'' said the spokesperson, as he summed up the mood by referring to the Chinese proverb that a 1000-mile journey begins with a single step. “That step has been taken with this engagement,'' he added.

(Wang Yi with Sushma Swaraj)

The two sides also discussed economic issues in detail, including specific projects and the rising trade deficit between the two countries. Swaraj spoke about the need for more Chinese investments into India and also the possibility of setting up industrial parks in India. Wang responded by saying that China will support expansion of economic cooperation with India.

Wang will call on PM Modi, and also President Pranab Mukherjee, on Monday. In his interaction with Swaraj, joint secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale said, Wang thanked India for the position it had taken on recent incidents of terrorism in China. Possible counter-terrorism cooperation was also discussed even though there is already a joint working group to address the issue.

The Wang visit will also pave the way for a slew of engagements between the two countries in the next six months. While Xi is expected to visit India after September, there are at least five other meetings likely to take place between the two countries at the levels of President, PM, vice-president and foreign minister.

Sushma greets Wang in Mandarin

Foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who emphasized on the need for more Chinese investment into India before her counterpart Wang Yi, lent her own special touch to the meeting when she started her conversation with him in Mandarin. Sources said the gesture almost took Wang by surprise as he wasn't expecting it. He warmly responded in China's official language and with a smile. Swaraj greeted him by saying “reliye huanying nin” which translated into English means “I welcome you warmly''. She ended with a “xie xie” which means thank you.