China’s offer to India: Let’s tango, not fight

BEIJING: Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi talked highly about India-China ties, saying on Thursday the two countries should dance together and not fight among themselves. At the same time, he dismissed the quadrilateral dialogue involving India, the US, Australia and Japan as a “headline grabbing idea” that could never pose a problem to China.

Talking to journalists here about six months after the end of the Doklam tussle, Wang said even the Himalayas can’t stop the two countries from improving their relations. “Chinese and Indian leaders have developed a strategic vision for the future of our relations,” he said

Wang’s generous sprinkling of hyperbole is a sign that China is trying to soften its image as a militarily aggressive nation involved in disputes with several countries in the South China Sea and with India and Japan over territorial issues.

“If China and India are united, one plus one will become 11 instead of two,” he said, but clarified that “China is upholding its rights and legitimate interests and taking care to preserve the relationship with India”.

Wang was asked if the close cooperation between India, the US, Australia and Japan as part of the quadrilateral dialogue could pose a challenge to China’s naval expansion and maritime silk road plans. The minister said there was “no shortage of headline grabbing ideas” but they were “like the foam on the sea” which “gets attention but will soon dissipate”. He then drew a comparison between the four-nation dialogue and China’s Belt and Road programme which had attracted the “support of 100 countries”.

Wang may be promoted to state councillor at the ongoing National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliamentary body, in Beijing, which is set to enshrine President Xi Jinping’s authority by approving an amendment to abolish presidential term limits. The amendment will likely be approved on March 11. The NPC closes on March 20.

“A shared understanding far outstrips our differences. China is ready to inherit and take forward our traditional friendship... I hope the two sides will meet each other halfway. Let us replace suspicion with trust, manage differences with dialogue,” he said.