The Chinese Ambassador to India luo Zhaohui has made reconciliatory gestures and said it was time to start a new chapter in India-China relations.
Speaking at the 68th anniversary of founding of People’s Republic of China on Friday, the Ambassador also indicated it was time to move on beyond Doklam unpleasantness and look forwards to strengthening trade and economic ties and stressed that the two countries have made a lot of progress at the bilateral level and it was time to consolidate that.
“lets make a new beginning...We should dance together. We should make one plus one eleven,” luo Zhaohui said. The envoy added that Chinese President Xi Jinping met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS Summit in Xiamen earlier this month where the two leaders sent a clear message of “reconciliation” and “cooperation”.
“We should turn the old page and start a new chapter with the same pace and direction. 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,” luo said.
The Chinese envoy’s comments come in the backdrop of the disengagement of Chinese and Indian troops in Doklam following nearly three months of stand-off. During the stand-off the Chinese Government kept an unusual aggressive and threatening posture. However, the ambassador made clear indications that China would like to move beyond this incidence and work towards strengthening their bilateral relations with India.
Speaking about the cultural connect between India and China, luo Zhaohui recalled one of his teachers, Professor Xu Fancheng, who lived in Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry from 1945 to 1978. Xu is known for his work of translating Upanishad, Bhagawad Gita and Shakuntala from Sanskrit to Chinese.
“In our bilateral engagement, there have been thousands of prominent persons like Prof Xu Fancheng, (Buddhist monk) Bodhidharma, Faxian (a Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled to India in the 3rd century) and Rabindranath Tagore.