India, China must promote Asian revival and not confront each other, says Chinese media

Although the Chinese foreign ministry gave birth to reactions in the Indian side by not giving the widely publicised informal talks held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan recently, its state-run Global Times carried an article on Tuesday, May 1, describing the Modi-Jinping meeting as "the most inspiring diplomatic endeavour made by the two countries to mend ties since last year's Doklam standoff". It also said "the meeting will exert enormous influence on Asia and the world".

The piece, titled 'China, India must strive for harmony', said citing Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang's words that in a world with "unprecedented changes" and "uncertainty and instability" in the international situation, Jinping and Modi felt as the leaders of two largest developing countries felt the urgency to deeply cooperate on long-term "comprehensive and strategic issues embedded in bilateral relations and international affairs".

"Through this visit, Modi strives to improve India-China relations, adjust neighbourhood diplomacy and New Delhi's ties with other major powers, paving the way for his election politically and attract China's investment. It is necessary for the two countries to enhance cooperation against the backdrop of rising protectionism in the West, especially the America First doctrine championed by the Donald Trump administration and a pending China-US trade war," the article said.

It also praised China saying it was eager to receive the Indian prime minister in an "extraordinary manner" and "respect India as a major power".

The article also said that China and India were pioneers in the advancement of human civilizations before the advent of the modern times but were "bullied by the West in modern history". It said if the two countries can make their relations more intimate, there is a "great hope for the rapid rise of China and India and the revival of Asia".

It said Beijing and New Delhi would have to decide whether to give the Asian civilization a chance to revive itself or get bogged into a confrontation because of the "West's conspiracy to drive a wedge between them".

The article also expressed a suspicion over the intent of India's diplomatic and strategic elites a number of whom it feels are influenced by "stereotypical mindsets including spheres of influence, regional harmony and a Cold War mentality".

It said these quarters are not ready to make even the smallest of sacrifices and hold India's bilateral relations with China to be the reason behind their "trivial loss". The piece said these factors would put up big obstacles in the way of Modi towards executing the consensuses reached with Jinping.