New Delhi, October 24 – Outlining seven principles of engagement for closer cooperation between India and China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the two countries should show sensitivity to each other’s interests and sovereignty and move quickly to resolve the boundary issue.
Addressing future leaders at the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Party School, Singh said old theories of alliances and containment are no longer relevant.
“India and China cannot be contained and our recent history is testimony to this. Nor should we seek to contain others,” he said.
The Prime Minister was received with a standing ovation and his speech on “India, China – A New Era” was given a huge round of applause by the audience.
In his seven principles of engagement, Singh said, “One should reaffirm an unwavering commitment to the principles of ‘Panchsheel’ and conduct our relationship in a spirit of mutual respect, sensitivity to each other’s interests and sovereignty, and mutual and equal security.”
He said India has welcomed President Xi Jinping’s concept of a new type of great power relations.
“This is a contemporary development of the Panchsheel or Five Principles of co-existence, elaborated by Prime Minister (Jawaharlal) Nehru and Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1950s,” Singh said.
A day after reaching accords on cooperation in border defence and trans-border river issues, Singh said maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border region has been the cornerstone of the bilateral relationship.
“It is essential for mutual confidence and for the expansion of our relations. We should do nothing to disturb that. Indeed we can achieve it by adhering to our agreements and utilising our bilateral mechanisms effectively. At the same time, we should move quickly to resolve our boundary issue,” he said.
The address to the Communist Party Central School is a rare honour given to visiting leaders from abroad.
The Prime Minister also spelt out a six-point roadmap of areas offering cooperation between the two countries and invited Chinese investment in Indian plans to invest USD one trillion in infrastructure in the next five years.
Key highlights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech:
I am pleased that the agreements that we have signed yesterday will help to advance many of our shared principles.
Our effort is to return the Indian economy to a sustained growth rate of 7-8% per annum.
We believe that the underlying fundamentals of our economy, particularly investment and savings rates, are strong and consistent.
India’s critical challenges in the days ahead are precisely in areas where I see opportunities for cooperation between India and China.
India and China cannot be contained and our recent history is testimony to this. Nor should we seek to contain others.
We both know that the benefits of cooperation far outweigh any presumed gains from containment. Therefore, we should engage with each other.
Our strategic consultation and cooperation will enhance peace, stability and security in our region and beyond.
Our strategic partnerships with other countries are defined by our own economic interests, needs and aspirations.
The landmark visit of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China 25 years ago marked a new beginning in our relationship.
Over the last 25 years, our relationship has prospered and our cooperation has expanded across a broad spectrum of areas.
Naturally, there are also concerns on both sides – whether it is incidents in the border region, trans-border rivers or trade imbalances.
We should reaffirm an unwavering commitment to the principles of Panchsheel and conduct our relationship in a spirit of mutual respect.
I have often said, that the world is large enough to accommodate the development aspirations of both India and China.
What is at stake is the future of India and China; indeed, what may be at stake is the future of our region and our world.
The prolonged global economic crisis has affected us, as it has many emerging economies. I believe that this is a temporary disruption.
We have emphasised modernisation, also addressing the challenges of opportunities, capacity and equity for our vast and diverse population.
Relations between India and China are unique in the world. We are two continuous ancient civilisations.
In our own ways, we have also had an impact in shaping the global economy – China in the manufacturing and India in the services sector.
We are the world’s two most populous nations, engaged in a process of socio-economic transformation of our people on an unprecedented scale.
-Indiatoday
