Sino-India ties set for "big boost" under Modi: Chinese media

Beijing, May 27: In a rare gesture, China's official media today gave the biggest coverage to an Indian political event and projected Narendra Modi's elevation as Prime Minister as a harbinger of "big boost" to bilateral ties.

"Modi to boost ties with China", state-run 'China Daily' said, featuring Modi's take over as Prime Minister yesterday in its lead story.

The daily recalled Modi's visit to China as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2011 with meticulous preparations.

"He (Modi) presented a business card with one side in Chinese and in red the colour that symbolises wealth and good fortune in China," it said.

"With modi taking the oath of office as India's new Prime Minister on Monday," the said, "such attention to China is expected to be repeated."

The article also included comments by some of the official think tanks to corroborate its theses projecting "big boost" to Sino-Indian ties under his leadership.

Modi's earlier visits to China to scout investments as well as to study the Chinese success story and concentration of much China's USD 900 million investments in India in Gujarat was also adequately highlighted in the coverage besides the goodwill message by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Besides this, the daily also devoted a half page tracing Modi's rise from grass-root politics to the Prime Ministership of India.

Another daily 'Global Times' too devoted a page with pictures of Modi's swearing-in ceremony, specially the Indian Prime Minister greeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during the event, which was also widely shown on state-run CCTV with commentaries by analysts.

In its editorial titled "Congratulations to Modi", the China Daily said the "sweeping victory of Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party in India's elections was the outcome of Modi's promise of reforms and credentials as an efficient doer in the State of Gujarat."

"A purveyor of dreams in some people's eyes, in the campaigning Modi pledged to end policy-paralysis, reduce inflation and tackle corruption, some of the most outstanding stumbling blocks on India's way ahead," the editorial said.

"His pragmatic economic blueprint has been so tantalising to the market that it has reportedly boosted Indian stocks by 15 per cent so far this year," it said, adding, "The Indian rupee, too, has gained considerably."

"And his preoccupation with development, which echoes this country's own experiences and development philosophy, has inspired unprecedented optimism here over our South Asian neighbour's growth potential", the editorial said.

Drawing an analogy with China, it said: "A similar belief in and focus on development has brought China where it is today and such a commitment to development can create an economic miracle next door in the world's second most-populous country."

PTI