India’s official stance of not blaming China for the Covid-19 pandemic is being favourably viewed by Beijing. China feels that although the pandemic has brought India and the US even closer, New Delhi has not “abandoned its balanced position between China and the US and become hostile toward China”.
In an article in Global Times, the official media outlet of the Beijing, the author argues that though “some Indian politicians and media outlets have recently joined the ridiculous blame game regarding the pandemic, but it’s not difficult to see that what they want is attention, and they can’t represent the Modi government. To date, the Indian government hasn’t accused any country of being responsible for the outbreak.”
According to the author, India’s most pressing challenge at this juncture is to contain the spread of the deadly virus and boost its economy. “…it’s paramount for the South Asian nation to maintain friendly economic and trade relations with China,” it said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Abhiyan – a call for making India self-reliant, the article says, “…that doesn’t necessarily mean the nation will roll out more trade protection measures.”
The article further says India needs Chinese investments, particularly as it tries to rekindle an economy with an elevated fiscal deficit. “To speed up economic recovery, India will definitely try to woo more Chinese companies to expand their production in India.”
China hopes that the economic ties between the two neighbours will deepen. It also wants to see India’s return to negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
On the issue of border tension, the article says, “Chinese border defense troops have reportedly bolstered border control measures and made necessary moves in response to India’s recent, illegal construction of facilities on the border in the Galwan Valley region. “But China and India will not engage in confrontation over the borders. As the largest and third-largest economies in Asia, the two countries have the wisdom to avoid conflict.”
“The 21st century is the century of Asia, and China and India have reached a consensus to cherish the current precious development opportunities,” it said.
Discussion about this post