Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Qingdao, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, the Chinese ambassador to India said that India, China and Pakistan should have trilateral talks. On the trade front he said China would like to negotiate a bilateral trade arrangement to expand trade relations.
“Some Indian friends suggested that India, China and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). So, if China, Russia and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China and Pakistan?” Luo Zhaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to India, said in a seminar on Monday, according to national media reports.
“We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Let’s make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border,” Luo Zhaohui, according to reports.
Later in a multi-part tweet, where he posted pictures of the seminar, he said that there is was need to control, manage & narrow differences through expanding cooperation. “The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives’ Meeting while adopting confidence building measures,” he added referring to the meeting of Indian and Chinese representatives.
My 4-point vision for future #China–#India cooperation:
Sign a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, negotiate a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, enhance connectivity and work for early harvest on boundary issues.— Luo Zhaohui (@China_Amb_India) June 18, 2018
He also tweeted that India and China relations have gone beyond bilateral scope. “We have broad converging interests and face common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination & cooperation in SCO, BRICS, G20 and join hands to tackle global challenges,” he said.
Against the backdrop of anti-globalization and rising protectionism, he said that the two major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers. India and China should coordinate their positions and also explore ways to be with each other.
#China & #India are neighbors that cannot be moved away. We are most populous & largest developing countries. We shared historic glory of friendly interactions. We also have pending boundary issues. Our relations so multifaceted & complicated, calling for special care & attention
— Luo Zhaohui (@China_Amb_India) June 18, 2018
Key takeaways
- In Qingdao, the two premiers agreed to hold the second round of informal summit next year.
- The Chinese Defence Minister, Minister for Public Security will visit India.
- Special Representatives’ Meeting on Boundary Question will be held in Beijing this year.
- The two foreign ministers will co-chair 1st meeting of high-level people-to-people & cultural exchange mechanism.
- China will import more sugar, non-Basmati rice and high quality medicines from India to reduce trade imbalance.
- A new bilateral trade target has been set for $100 billion by 2022.
- The two sides decided to move forward ‘ChinaIndiaPlus’ cooperation in Afghanistan, starting from joint training program for Afghan civil servants.
- We encourage more Indian companies to participate in 1st China International Import Expo in Shanghai this November. So far Only 4 Indian companies have decided to participate in the Expo.
- Economic cooperation on major projects such as new industrial parks and high-speed railway
- Give full play to high-level people-to-people & cultural exchange mechanism to enhance exchanges in fields of movie, sports, tourism, museum, youth. Continue to promote religious exchanges, arrange pilgrims by Indian Yatris to Kailash Manasarovar in China’s Tibet.