After Doklam, China and India should turn the page, says Chinese envoy

"We should turn the old page and start a new chapter with the same pace and same direction," said Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui, at an event commemorating the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Geeta Mohan  | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, September 30, 2017 | UPDATED 00:11 IST
Luo Zhaohui (Photo: http://in.china-embassy.org)Luo Zhaohui (Photo: http://in.china-embassy.org)

Highlights

  • 1
    Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui said India and China should start a new chapter
  • 2
    The two nations were recently involved in a months-long border stand-off
  • 3
    Zhaohui also made a strong pitch for Chinese high-speed trains

The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi celebrated the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Friday, just weeks after the resolution of the Doklam border stand-off.

The celebratory mood was incomparable. Embassy staff, including Ambassador Luo Zhaohui's wife, danced to Hindi and Bollywood numbers. Indian classical dancers danced to the tune of Chinese music.

Luo Zhaohui said in his remarks that India and China "should dance together. We should "make one plus one eleven"."

The message was certainly not lost on anyone.

Zhaohui said the message from the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xiamen, China, was one of "reconciliation" and "cooperation".

He said New Delhi and Beijing "should turn the old page and start a new chapter with the same pace and same direction."

CHINA PITCHES FOR BULLET TRAINS

Speaking on the importance of trade and cooperation in international and regional affairs, the envoy emphasised joint efforts and a focus on cooperation to "handle the difference properly, enhance mutual trust, and move forward our relations to a new height,"

Luo Zhaohui also made a strong pitch for Chinese high-speed trains. This comes after India signed one of the biggest contracts for high-speed rail or bullet trains with Japan.

He said that right now, "the world is China's four inventions", referring to the high speed train from Beijing to Shanghai (hose speed was increased from 300 to 350 kmph), Alipay (similar to PayTM in India), bicycle-sharing initiative to online shopping, and the first big passenger jet.

Ambassador Zhaohui highlighted the fact that China is the second largest economy in the world and "everyone is working hard to make life better and make more dreams come true."

ZHAOHUI IN PUDUCHERRY

China and India's cultural and academic ties are well known and historic.

Zhaohui said he visited Puducherry last week because one of his teachers, Professor Xu Fancheng, lived in the Aurobindo Ashram and was one of the "bridges between our two nations."