Chinese envoy pitches for new chapter in ties with India

China's Ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui, has said that the time is right for both India and China to "turn a new chapter" in ties and "dance together".

Making an indirect reference to the 73-day-long military standoff on the Doklam Plateau in Bhutan, Ambassador Zhaohui made a strong pitch for renewing India-China ties by using an idiom that both "India and China should make one plus one eleven".

Speaking on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of founding of the People's Republic of China, Ambassador Zhaohui said, "We should turn the old page and start a new chapter with the same pace and same direction."

Highlighting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen earlier this month, Ambassador Zhaohui said both leaders had sent out a clear message of the need to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. He also added that both India and China have agreed to strengthen their ties.

"China is the largest trading partner of India. We have made a lot of progress at the bilateral level, as well as in international and regional affairs. I am quite sure that with joint efforts, we will focus on cooperation, handle the difference properly, enhance mutual trust, and move forward and take our relations to a new height," Ambassador Zhaohui said.

Ambassador Zhaohui said, "In our bilateral engagement, there have been thousands of prominent persons like Professor Xu Fancheng, (Buddhist monk) Bodhidharma, Faxian (a Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled to India in the 3rd century) and Rabindranath Tagore. We should never forget their contribution and legacies. History teaches us a lot of things. Standing on their shoulders, we should do more today,"he added.

Next month, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing. The envoy said that he believed that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping, China will have a brighter future.