Enough space in world for both India and China to progress: V K Singh

There is enough space in the world for both India and China to progress economically, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said Tuesday and asserted that the boundary issue and development of ties should be dealt with separately.

He said 2018 was a landmark year for Sino-India ties as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an informal summit in Wuhan with Chinese President Xi Jinping without an agenda that helped in understanding each other's perspective.

"I know a lot of people criticised it because of linear thinking. My experience has been that agendas narrow down what you want to do... The aim of this summit was to achieve a personal relationship and to achieve an understanding of what each one wants, what are the red lines, what is it you can push, what is it you cannot push," he said at an event for launch of the book 'Sino-Indian Equation' by Brigadier Rajeev Bhutani.

Singh, in his remarks at the event, advocated an approach to Sino-India ties in which the land boundary is seen as one issue and the bilateral relationship is treated as another issue.

"Why I am trying to put these two separately is because the land boundary is a very complex issue for various reasons," he said.

There is enough place in the world for China and India to survive, to do business, and enhancing their trade and commerce, he added.

Lt Gen (retd) Arun Kumar Sahni said India should follow an approach in which it talks less and does more, especially when it comes to strategic issues.

He also called for smart use of India's soft power for strategic gains.