Border with India stable; Both sides working via channels, says Chinese envoy

Kolkata: A senior Chinese diplomat in India has called the border situation between the two countries "stable." He also asserted that China and India have been in touch through different channels, bringing the border situation to "normalized management and control" at the earliest.

Minister Counsellor Chen Jianjun of the Chinese Embassy in India, who was in Kolkata on Friday, however pointed out that though the relationship between the two neighbors faces some difficulties, China's position never got weak.

Speaking on 'Chinese Diplomacy and China-India Relations,' he said, "The current border situation is overall stable. The two sides continue to maintain communication via diplomatic and military channels, promoting the transition of the border situation to normalized management and control at an earliest date."

Mr Jianjun claimed, "The Chinese side has always viewed and handled China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Although the relationship faces some difficulties, China's position has never wavered and we have been committed to pushing it back on the track of healthy and steady development. Since last year, China-India relations have caught positive momentum. China and India's bilateral trade continues to grow."

He observed, "In a world intertwined with changes and chaos, China and India could speak out loud for more institutional rights of developing countries. China and India working together will bear on the future of Asia and beyond. Both sides should follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries that "China and India should not be a threat to each other, but an opportunity for each other's development," and "be cooperation partners to each other instead of being competitive rivals"."

Mr Jianjun added, "China supports India in fulfilling its responsibilities as the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the G20, willing to strengthen communication and cooperation, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice. We believe that China and India could find a way for neighboring major countries to live in peace and develop together, so as to realize the "Asian Century"."