A handshake across the Himalayas
China and India are destined to be together. They should work hand in hand if Asia is to become the anchor of world peace
We live in an age of change, but there are always certain things that
are enduring, forever refreshing and attractive. India is such a nation,
at once old and young. I will be leading a Chinese government
delegation to India, the first country I will visit as the Premier of
China. I am very much looking forward to it and hope to make some
concrete contribution to deepening the friendship and promoting
cooperation in various areas between China and India.
Pillars of civilisation
Both China and India have a long and great history that goes back
thousands of years. The Chinese and Indian civilisations are among the
oldest of human civilisation. They represent the two pillars of the
civilisation of the East. The towering Himalayas have not prevented them
from mutual attraction and illumination. Fahien and Huen Tsang, two
eminent Chinese monks of the Jin and Tang dynasties respectively, and
Bodhidharma of ancient India all made outstanding contribution to
religious and cultural exchanges between China and India. In my student
days, I already had a strong interest in India. I was impressed by the
memorable poetic lines and the deep philosophical insights of
Rabindranath Tagore, the famed “sage poet”, and moved by his profound
friendship with the leading Chinese authors of his day. There was a
Chinese Indologist at my alma mater, Peking University, with whom I was
well acquainted. He spent his whole life studying and teaching ancient
Indian culture and in recognition of his contribution, he was awarded
the Padma Bhushan. Indeed, from generation to generation, our two
cultures have learned and benefited from each other through exchanges
and, as a result, they have both flourished with the passage of time.
When I first visited India 27 years ago, I was struck by her warm
sunshine, brilliant colours, beautiful arts, hard-working and talented
people and amazing splendour and diversity. As far as I know, the India
of the 21st century is taking a fast track of innovation-driven
development. Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley of South Asia”, is home to
about 1/3 of IT talents in India; it is not only the ICT centre of
India, but also a hub of software services in Asia. India’s
manufacturing sector has also moved forward. Tata Motors ranks among the
world’s top five manufacturers of commercial vehicles, and Tata Global
Beverages is the world’s second-largest producer of tea. I have read
that Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, had travelled to India with no
other purpose than to learn yoga and meditation. It is believed that
this gave him many inspirations and resolve for innovation. Now, a
growing number of Chinese youth are backpacking across your country,
intent on discovering and appreciating India’s magnificent culture and
retracing the footsteps of history.
China and India, two big Asian countries living next door to each other, are destined to be together.
Since modern times, our destinies have been more closely tied than ever.
Our peoples sympathised with, supported and helped each other in their
quest for national independence and liberation, leaving behind a trail
of touching stories. Afterwards, our two countries jointly initiated the
Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which have become the
important basic norms underpinning the new type of international
relations that we both seek. Our two countries have worked shoulder to
shoulder to uphold the rights and interests of developing countries,
giving lasting traction to South-South cooperation.
Today, the handshake across the Himalayas is even stronger. Facing the
same task of boosting the economy, improving people’s living standards
and reviving the nation, both countries need a peaceful and tranquil
neighbourhood and external environment and wish to achieve win-win
results through dialogue and cooperation. India, a strong Asian nation
and a major country with global influence, is playing an increasingly
important role in international affairs. India, a BRICS member with
robust economic growth, is playing a significant role for peace and
prosperity in South Asia and in the Asia Pacific in general. China is
happy to see the growth momentum of India and ready to expand and
upgrade Sino-Indian cooperation to the benefit of all-round economic and
social development in both countries.
There is no denying that China and India still have between them some
difficult issues left over from history. But the rich historical
experience and the broad vision, which are common qualities of big
countries, serve as the basis for China and India to take a long-term
view and live in amity with each other. With joint efforts in the past
few years, the two sides have gradually found a way to maintain peace
and tranquillity in the disputed border areas, and have learned to deal
with the situation in a reasonable and mature manner. Both agree that
the common interests between China and India far outweigh their
differences and that the two countries should enhance mutual trust
rather than increasing mutual suspicion. I believe that as long as we
draw on wisdom and strength on our way forward, there will be no
obstacle that we cannot overcome. As long as we face the problems
squarely and talk to each other with sincerity, we will eventually find
proper solutions.
Seven necessities
China is a big country that is growing and peace-loving. What we Chinese
value most are “Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do
unto you” and the philosophy that stresses the importance of good faith
and making friends with neighbours. China is more developed than
before, but it remains a developing country. Even if China becomes
strong one day, it will never embark on the doomed path of seeking
hegemony. We suffered immensely from foreign bullying, wars and chaos
and know so well that the same tragedy should not be allowed to happen
to anyone ever again.
China has a long way to go to achieve modernisation. To successfully
manage a populous big country like China, the top priority is to ensure
the supply of seven daily necessities, namely firewood, rice, cooking
oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. In other words, we have to
address the most immediate concern of our people in everyday life. The
Chinese people want better education, more stable employment, more
reliable social security, more comfortable housing, more colourful
cultural life and national stability and prosperity. It is not easy to
deliver all those to our people and modernise the country. We must focus
on self-development and that calls for a peaceful international
environment. We need to live with our neighbours in harmony and make
friends in the world. To pursue a path of peaceful development is the
unwavering commitment and firm action of the Chinese people.
Continuous reform
China owes its rapid growth to continuous reform as well as external
cooperation. Interdependence is a defining feature in state-to-state
relations in this era of globalisation. China is a beneficiary and a
defender of the existing international order and system and stands ready
to work with India and other countries to advance reform of the system.
China will undertake international obligations commensurate with its
national strength. We stand ready to embrace the world with a more open
mind and hope that the world will view China with a calm frame of mind.
Both China and India are big countries in size and in population.
Together, the populations of our two countries exceed 2.5 billion and
account for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s total. We are viewed as
the two most important emerging markets. However, our bilateral trade
volume was less than $70 billion last year. This is incompatible with
the strength and status of our two countries, but it also points to the
huge potential for expanding and upgrading our bilateral trade and
business cooperation. This is an issue that the two sides must work to
resolve together.
The world looks to Asia to be the engine driving the global economy.
This would be impossible without the two powerhouses of China and India.
Our two countries need to work hand in hand if Asia is to become the
anchor of world peace. An Asian century that people expect would not
come if China and India, the two most populous countries in the world,
failed to live in harmony and achieve common development. Asia’s future
hinges on China and India. If China and India live in harmony and
prosper together, and if our two markets converge, it will be a true
blessing for Asia and the world at large. China’s development promises
opportunities for India, and India’s development promises opportunities
for China. Our common development will benefit people of the two
countries and offer the world more and better opportunities.
(Li Keqiang is Premier of the People’s Republic of China)
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