Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

India and China should handle the bilateral ties from a “strategic height and long-term perspective” while implementing the common understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday (January 21, 2025).

The Ministry was reacting to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent remarks that the India-China relationship is trying to disentangle itself from the complications arising from the post-2020 border situation and more thought needs to be given to the longer-term evolution of the ties.

“We need to view and handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, bring the relations back to the track of healthy and stable development, and find the right path for big, neighbouring countries to live in harmony and develop side by side,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing in Beijing.

Also read | India, China have set ties on right track: Jaishankar

Delving into various aspects of New Delhi’s relations with Beijing over past decades, Mr. Jaishankar in his Nani Palkhivala memorial lecture in Mumbai on January 18 said, “misreadings” by past policymakers, whether driven by “idealism or absence of realpolitik”, has helped neither cooperation nor competition with China.

That has changed in the last decade, he said, adding that mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of the relationship between the two sides. He said that more thought needs to be given to the longer-term evolution of ties.

Responding to a question on Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks, Mr. Guo said that as two major time-honoured civilizations, developing countries and emerging economies, China and India need to focus on development and engage in cooperation.

Also read | A slow return: On border tensions and India-China ties 

This serves the fundamental interests of over 2.8 billion people of the two countries, meets the common aspiration of regional countries and peoples, goes along with the historical trend of the Global South growing stronger, and is conducive to peace and prosperity of the region and the wider world, he said.

“The two sides need to earnestly deliver on the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their meeting in Kazan, including that China and India are each other’s development opportunities rather than threats, and cooperation partners rather than competitors. In global affairs, the two sides need to remain committed to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, practice true multilateralism, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and make a greater contribution to world peace, stability, development and prosperity,” he said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the BRICS Outreach Session, in Kazan. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the 16th BRICS Summit in BRICS Plus format highlighted the significant strides made by nations that have gained independence from colonial rule, noting their accelerated development and socio-economic progress and asserted that the “BRICS itself is a statement of how profoundly the old order is changing.”

Also Read: PM Modi for financial integration among BRICS countries

Addressing the summit, Mr. Jaishankar said, “On the one hand, there is the steady diversification of production and consumption. Nations that attained independence from colonialism have accelerated their development and socio-economic progress. New capabilities emerged, facilitating the harnessing of more talent.”

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He said, “This economic, political and cultural rebalancing has now reached a point where we can contemplate real multi-polarity. The BRICS itself is a statement of how profoundly the old order is changing.”

Mr. Jaishankar further asserted that to create a more equitable global order, strengthening and expanding independent platforms is crucial, and that’s where BRICS comes in, making a significant difference for the Global South. He said, “First, by strengthening and expanding platforms of an independent nature. And by widening the choices in different domains and minimising undue reliance on those that can be leveraged. This is really where BRICS can make a difference for the Global South.”

The External Affairs Minister also called for reforming of the United Nations Security Council and said, “reforming established institutions and mechanisms, especially the UN Security Council in the permanent and the non-permanent categories. So too the multilateral development banks, whose working procedures are just as outdated as that of the UN. India initiated an effort during its G20 Presidency and we are glad to see Brazil take that forward.”

Urging for democratising the global economy through creating more production hubs, Mr. Jaishankar said, “democratizing the global economy through creating more production hubs. The COVID experience is a sharp reminder of the need for more resilient, redundant and shorter supply chains. For essential needs, every region legitimately aspires to create their own production capabilities.”

Also Read: BRICS countries recognize group’s importance for multipolarity: Jaishankar

He added, “correcting distortions in global infrastructure that are a legacy from the colonial era. The world urgently needs more connectivity options that enhance logistics and mitigate risks. This must be a collective endeavour for common good, with utmost respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Citing examples of Indian initiatives like the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the Gati Shakti infrastructure, Mr. Jaishankar also called for sharing experiences and new initiatives. He said, “And fifth, by sharing experiences and new initiatives. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, its Unified Payments Interface and the Gati Shakti infrastructure, all hold a greater relevance. The International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the Global Biofuel Alliance, Mission LiFE and the International Big Cat Alliance are similarly initiatives of common interest. As a First Responder, be it for natural calamities, health emergencies or economic crises, we seek to do our fair share.”