China’s rare ‘appreciation’ for PM Modi’s ‘dialogue over discord’ remark on Sino-Indian relations

China has heaped rare praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his podcast with AI researcher Lex Fridman. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that they ‘appreciated’ PM Modi's “positive” remarks on Sino-Indian ties, which favour dialogue over discord. On Sunday, PM Modi reiterated his stance on preferring dialogue over discord when asked about India's relationship with China.

‘No History of Conflict Between India and China’

Mao Ning told a media briefing in Beijing on Monday, "Let me stress that in the 2000-plus years’ history of interactions, the two countries (India and China) have maintained friendly exchanges.” She said both countries learned from each other, contributing to civilisational achievements and human progress.

This statement seemingly echoed PM Modi's sentiments, who maintained there is no real history of conflict between India and China, adding that their relationship isn't new.

“If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other. Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point, India and China alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP. That's how massive India's contribution was. And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections,” the Prime Minister told Fridman.

China Reflects on Modi-Xi Jinping Meet

Mao said the successful meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, in October provided strategic guidance for the improvement and development of bilateral ties.

On Sunday, during the Lex Fridman podcast, PM Modi agreed that India and China are experiencing border disputes. He noted how the Galwan Valley skirmishes in 2020 created tensions between Delhi and Beijing.

However, he said, “After my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return.”

He said that these things will indeed take some time, considering that there has been a five-year gap now.

‘Ballet Between Dragon and Elephant’

As the two largest developing countries, China and India have shared the task of accelerating their development and revitalisation, as well as understanding and supporting each other's successes, Mao Ning told reporters on Monday.

Mao Ning added that this serves the fundamental interests of over 2.8 billion people, meets the common aspiration of regional countries, and follows the historical trend of the Global South growing stronger and conducive to world peace.

The two countries should be partners that contribute to each other's success and a "cooperative pas de deux" (a dance for two people), a ballet between dragon and elephant, is the "only choice for both sides", she said, reiterating the recent comments by Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the development of bilateral ties.

China stands ready to work with India to implement the important common understandings between the two leaders, take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic relations as an opportunity and advance bilateral ties on the track of stable and sound development, she said.