China to push for new progress in ties with India

Beijing: China on Wednesday said it would like to make concerted efforts with India to develop strategic cooperative partnership to push for "new progress" in bilateral relations. Looking pleased over External Affairs Minister Salman Khushid's remark that India will have to accept the new reality of China's presence in areas that New Delhi considers to be exclusive to India and its friends, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei told media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that "we hove noted Foreign Minister Khurshid's statement".

Both Chinese and Indian leaders believe there is enough space in the world for the common development of China and India, Hong said. "China-India relations obtained substantial progress over the past few years. The development of bilateral relations is facing important opportunities", he said.

"We would like to make concerted efforts with the Indian side to develop our strategic cooperative partnership based on equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness and cooperation, so as to push for a new progress of China-India relations", he said.

Khurshid's statement is seen here as relative acceptance of China's presence in Indian subcontinent by India. China has been beefing up relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives besides its all weather relations with Pakistan, much to the disquiet of India.

Similarly China has reservations over India's Look East Policy developing close ties with Vietnam and other countries in the region which were locked in a showdown with China over the South China Sea dispute.

China also views with apprehension, India's deepening ties with Japan and Australia besides United States. Khurshid had on Monday during a conference in New Delhi said, "We will have to accept the new reality of China's presence in many areas that we consider an exclusive playground for India and its friends".

He added: "China for instance would give a right arm to be in the Indian Ocean as comfortably as India is placed in the Indian Ocean... this is an important critical factor for what we will see as the emerging Asian century," he said.