China or its development not a threat to India, says S.M. Krishna

New Delhi, Jan.7 (ANI): Union Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna on Thursday said that India does not view China or China's development as a threat.

"We recognize that cooperation and competition can overlap, as it is not possible to have a perfect congruence of interests between two nations as vast and diverse as India and China. Such competition or lack of cooperation must not be misunderstood as antagonism," Krishna said.

Speaking during a function related to release of two books on China and India, brought out by Observer Research Foundation, Krishna said: "Our differences, when they exist, must be handled with dialogue and diplomacy."

He noted that both the countries have a vibrant system of political exchanges and have created a full-fledged architecture of dialogue at all official levels, covering all fields with the parameters of the Strategic and Global Partnership.

"It is our endeavour to fully utilize these mechanisms, address issues in a frank and mature manner and set new goals, rather than allow uncertainties to persist and lead to mistrust and grudge," the Minister said today at the launch function at Observer Research Foundation, Chaired by M. Rasgotra, President of ORF Centre for International Relations and a former Foreign Secretary.

Underlining the importance of people-to-people friendship that New Delhi wants to put on faster track in 2010, Krishna informed that the governments are planning to commemorate the 60th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China in a befitting manner.

Krishna announced that spectacular Festivals of India in China and China's in India will be organized to commemorate this milestone.

The Minister said the release today of the books on China - 'India and China: The Next Decade' (edited by Prof. Suranjan Das and Prof. S.D. Muni) and 'Managed Chaos: The Fragility of the Chinese Miracle' (by Prem Shankar Jha) - heralded the promising year ahead.

Krishna said that he is looking forward to his China visit later this year to further strengthen and reinvigorate our relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of Kolkata University Prof. Suranjan Das on this occasion noted that Indian Prime Ministers-from Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr. Manmohan Singh-are keen to have good relations with China. (ANI)