India to work with China based on commonalities

India will develop its relations with China based on commonalities while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's interests, concerns and sensitivities, a senior official said here on Friday.

The comments come after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that the Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant must not fight with each other but dance together.

"As two major countries and large economies, relations between India and China are not just important bilaterally but also have regional and global significance," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told the media here.

Kumar said that during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Xiamen in September last year, the two leaders agreed that sound development of relations between the two Asian giants are a factor of stability amidst today's global uncertainties and that the two countries should not allow their differences to become disputes.

"Since then, both sides have maintained regular exchanges at all levels, which have helped in strengthening bilateral communication," he said.

"We are willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's interests, concerns and sensitivities."

On Thursday, speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Chinese parliament session, Wang said that both countries, which nearly came to war over a two-month military stand-off along their border last year, should replace suspicion with trust.

Sounding positive on bilateral ties in the coming year, the minister said: "The Chinese dragon and Indian elephant must not fight each other but dance with each other."

Sino-India ties took a nosedive after their militaries faced-off each other in their worst stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of their boundary.

China's opposition to a UN ban on Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar and India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group has also tested their relationship.

"Despite some tests and difficulties, the China-India relationship continues to grow. In the process, China has both upheld its legitimate rights and interests and taken care to preserve the relationship," Wang said.

He emphasised that mutual trust was a key factor between India and China.

--IANS

ab/dg