Chinese Foreign Minister continues with a soft stand despite dry response from India

Beijing/New Delhi: – India did not attach much importance to the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the last week. The media also did not get photographs of Foreign Minister Jaishankar shaking hands with Wang Yi. A joint press conference of the two leaders was also avoided. According to media reports, the adamant Chinese stance on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s anti-India rhetoric on the Kashmir issue have prompted this Indian dry response. Despite this, the Chinese Foreign Minister gave different information to his country’s media.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said while referring to his visit to India that India and China are partners, not rivals. Instead of pushing each other backwards, the two countries need to move forward and help each other succeed. Both countries are neighbours with logical and mature thinking. While considering bilateral relations, the two countries should ensure that border disputes do not affect or hamper bilateral relations.’

He also said that India and China were not a threat to each other and that both sides agreed on the issue. The two countries’ leaders said that both the countries have development opportunities and hoped that a practical solution to the disputes would be found. Even though nothing has been achieved during the India tour, the Chinese Foreign Minister’s tone of softness and harmony says a lot.

The United States has imposed strict sanctions on Russia over its military invasion of Ukraine. The blow will not only be felt by the Russian economy but also by other countries dealing with Russia. China is a tremendous trading partner of Russia. The United States has threatened to target Chinese companies that trade with Russia. It is alleged that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been disturbed by this development. However, no matter what, China cannot decide to cease cooperating with Russia. At the same time, China cannot ignore US sanctions. This could disrupt Chinese exports worth billions of dollars to the United States.

In such a scenario, maintaining cooperation with a major country like India is of great economic and political importance to China. At the same time, by refusing to take a stand against Russia in response to the call by the United States, India has made the world aware that its foreign policy is independent. This is having repercussions internationally. Some countries have been influenced by the Indian stance and have refused to go against Russia over Ukraine. China also had to take notice of this.

Chinese state-run media, which has been spreading vicious propaganda against India, has also praised the Indian role in the Ukraine issue as an independent foreign policy sign. China’s official mouthpiece, the Global Times, said expressed an expectation that India should continue with the same policy.