Media roundtable ahead of Modi's China visit

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-05-14

The national flags of China and India hang on lampposts in Xi'an to welcome
the visit of Prime Minister Modi. (Photo/CFP)

On the eve of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to China on May 14, the Indian media and China's state-run Global Times held a roundtable in Beijing on Sino-Indian ties, reported upon by Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao. The national secretary of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ram Madhav, India's ambassador to China Ashok Kantha and former Chinese diplomat in Pakistan Mao Siwei were present, according to the paper.

China's New Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road) projects were a focus of discussion at the event, according to the paper.

Discussion of Border Disputes

Kantha provided some details on Modi's visit to China, stating that in addition to visiting Beijing and Xi'an, Modi will meet entrepreneurs in Shanghai and sign contracts worth US$10 billion. Kantha also said that China and India have a responsibility to expand their cooperation and not just maintain the status quo.

There are some ongoing political tensions between India and China, however, especially concerning border disputes on which scholars and experts at the roundtable engaged in heated debate, the paper said.

Mao, who also formerly served as China's consul general in Kolkata, was cited by the paper as stating that border issues between the two countries are not something that can be ignored and that maintaining peace and security at the border is fundamental to the Sino-Indian relationship. He added however that the issue should not be exaggerated and that it could be put to one side to allow for cooperative ventures between the two countries.

Mao drew attention to the amount of attention the border dispute has gained among the public, citing a flood of comments on the border issue posted to Modi's account on China's version of Twitter, which he opened two days before the roundtable, as an example of the "great pressure" China is under on the issue. He said that the issue should be put on the back burner to allow for both parties to seek joint development.

Mao's point was rebutted by Madhav, however, who said that the border issue was of the utmost importance and that it should be clarified, but that there is confidence in the new leadership of both countries that they will be able to reach a consensus on the basis of understanding each other's stance and interests.

Tensions were palpable between the speakers on the issue, Ta Kung Pao said.

India's View of Belt and Road Project

India has been reticent in expressing its support for China's Belt and Road initiative, according to the paper. Mao said that this was normal, as the two countries need time to wear in relations.

"I think that the Belt and Road initiative is a clear sign that China is willing to invest funds, effort and technology to help other countries improve their infrastructure. In this light, although India has not expressed its outright support for the Belt and Road initiative, China and India are currently engaged in realizing the project. We shouldn't be concerned with what India and China are saying, but rather what India and China are doing," Mao said.

According to Mao, China and India are in talks over railway cooperation. China has already agreed to help India speed up railway construction, to modernize the country's railway stations and to train local railway staff. "So in fact these cooperative efforts, although they may not bear the official label of the Belt and Road, are well underway."

China is said to be the larger contributor in terms of investment and is actively seeking to win India's friendship. But Mao stated that India has been far from unresponsive in return.