'Big fan of India, can work together closely,' says Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh

Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Wednesday said that China and India can closely work together to resolve economic and geopolitical issues. "Personally, I’m a big fan of India. We can work together more closely to resolve economic and geopolitical issues. China does not want to see the Bay of Bengal as heavily armed,” he added.

According to PTI, while referring to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Jiming said, “China expected all stakeholders in South Asia to play a positive role and also wanted them not to act in a way some countries are doing in Europe.”  

Jiming was speaking on the sidelines of an interaction with diplomatic correspondents in Bangladesh. The ambassador noted that China never viewed India as a “strategic rival or strategic competitor”.

This comment comes in the wake of external affair minister S Jaishankar's strong statement on the India-China relationship to China's outgoing ambassador to India Sun Weidong when the latter made a farewell call to Jaishankar at South Block.

"Received Ambassador Sun Weidong of China for a farewell call. Emphasized that the development of India-China relations is guided by the 3 Mutuals. Peace and tranquility in the border areas are essential," the external affairs minister had tweeted.

In his farewell remarks at an event on Tuesday, Weidong had said that it is natural for China and India to have some differences but the focus should be on seeking common ground for development while resolving the pending issues through dialogue, reported by the PTI.

"The normalisation of India-China relations is in the interest of both countries, of Asia and the world at large," Jaishankar had said in another tweet.

Constantly maintaining peace and tranquility by India along the LAC was the crucial factor in the overall development of the bilateral ties. The relationship between China and India became sour when the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry.  

(Inputs taken from PTI)