Beijing: China has said it is placing “great emphasis” on the relationship with India and wants ties “to move forward”. Beijing made its announcement when asked how it viewed the impact of the on-going elections in India on bilateral relations.
“We hope the bilateral relationship can move forward and bring more benefits to peoples of the two countries and bring common development,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei at a press briefing. “China,” he added, “has put great emphasis on the China-India relationship and our relationship needs to feature peace and common development”. Hong also mentioned the Chinese government hoped India’s elections carried on smoothly.
China’s official Xinhua news agency identified “Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland” while reporting on the elections on Monday as part of India’s northeast, leaving out Arunachal Pradesh which China has territorial claims on.
Earlier in the week, the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, in his visit to China called on Beijing to shoulder more responsibilities as “a great power” and to refrain from intimidating its neighbours, amid a number of festering boundary disputes involving China.
Hong, however, rejected Mr. Hagel’s suggestion that China was intimidating its neighbours, saying it was Beijing’s intention to “foster good neighbourliness and partnerships”.