Beijing: Calling for enhanced exchanges
between India and China to build mutual trust and
understanding, New Delhi on Friday said the two Asian giants need
to forge stronger relationship "going beyond national
politics" to accommodate each other's interests.
In a rare interview carried by the PLA Daily, the
official newspaper of China's military, Indian Ambassador to
China, S Jaishankar said the two countries should step-up
contacts to ensure that issues like boundary dispute do not
obstruct the relationship.
"I feel that the only solution is to increase contacts
and exchanges. There is distrust when people don't understand
each other," he said.
Jaishankar said: "Lack of mutual trust and understanding
is the real challenge faced by our two countries. It has
blurred our vision."
"If you have to give a very direct solution, then my
solution is: enhance exchanges in every field," he underlined.
The two countries have held 14 rounds of talks to find a
mutually acceptable solution to the long-standing boundary
disputes.
Jaishankar said the two countries should remember that
"the decline of India and China in the 18th-19th century was
connected."
"So too were their re-emergence as modern states after
the Second World War. So for the common development of the two
countries, we need a stronger relationship, going beyond
national politics, one where we understand each others'
interests much better. Both of us need a stronger Asia," he
said.
Replying to a question, he said the analogy of describing
China and India as "dragon" and "elephant" was "exaggerated".
He said the bilateral relationship in the last 10 to 15
years has "always been good".
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 16, 2011, 18:18