“Ballet Dance Between Dragon, Elephant”

The respect that New Delhi and Beijing have for each other is clearly on show. The most recent being Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “positive” comments on the relationship between the two nations, which China has “appreciated”.

“Let me emphasize that in the 2000 plus years’ history of exchanges, the two nations have always enjoyed friendly interactions” and both nations learned from one another contributing to civilisational accomplishments and human advancement,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said to reporters.

The statement came after PM Modi’s interview with US podcaster Lix Fridman, in which he stated normalcy has returned to the India-China border after his recent talks with President Xi Jinping to diffuse tensions sparked by the 2020 clashes between the two militaries in eastern Ladakh. The Prime Minister added that his government is committed to ensuring differences do not turn into disputes.

“Our emphasis is to make sure that these differences do not become disputes. That is what we work towards actively. Rather than discord, we stress dialogue, because only through dialogue can we establish a stable, cooperative relationship that is in the best interests of both countries,” PM Modi said to Lix Fridman.

The China spokesman asserted that Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s productive meeting in October at Kazan, Russia, set strategic directions for enhancing and progressing bilateral relationships.

Indian and Chinese soldiers began patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in November last year after a hiatus of more than four years. Patrolling along these two sectors in eastern Ladakh had been halted for roughly four and a half years since the two sides had a face-off in the Pangong Lake and Galwan areas in May-June 2020.

“It is also a fact that there have been border differences between us. And in 2020, the border incidents led to major tensions between our nations. But since my recent meeting with President Xi, normalcy has returned at the border,” PM Modi stated.

Both sides, according to the China spokesperson, have sincerely implemented the significant common understandings, deepened exchanges and made positive results.

Being the two largest developing nations, China and India have shared the responsibility of speeding up development and rejuvenation and appreciate and support each other’s achievements, she added.

This serves the common interests of more than 2.8 billion people, satisfies the shared aspiration of regional nations, and conforms to the historical trend of the Global South becoming increasingly powerful and beneficial for world peace, she added further.

The two nations are supposed to be cooperative partners helping each other thrive and a “cooperative pas de deux,“ an elephant and dragon ballet dance, is “only an option for both,“ she added, repeating the words of Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier in the month about bilateral cooperation.

China is prepared to cooperate with India in developing the significant mutual understandings of the two leaders, seizing the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a good chance and pushing the bilateral relationship along the path of stable and sound growth, she added.

“Cooperation among us is not only (reciprocally) beneficial but also critical to international peace and prosperity,” stated PM Modi.