New Delhi: China on Monday has backed India for hosting the 2021 BRICS summit and expressed interest in working with New Delhi to strengthen ties among the five BRICS countries.
This move comes at a time when a sign of thaw is observed between the two Asian military giants amid the disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Speaking to ETV Bharat, ex-ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar said, “I view this step by China positively because there are few things that we need to keep in mind. Firstly, India has a 4000 km long boundary with China, so there have to be some semblance of normalcy in India-China diplomatic and bilateral relations and exchanges.
It cannot be a confrontational relationship all the time, in that sense hosting of BRICS summit in India and participation by Xi Jinping is something that needs to be welcomed. Having said that, it cannot be ‘business as usual', we cannot revert to April 2020 situation because what China has done at Galwan in June 2020 is that it has broken all agreements that have been signed between the two countries, which means that the trust deficit with China is huge, so India have to come to a fresh paradigm of its bilateral relationship because all the five agreements signed earlier, have been torn and thrown into the dustbin by China.
It cannot be business as usual. China has been saying that border issue can be kept separate from economic and trade relation with India, which is not possible".
He says China is not bothered about the international community; it does not care about the International community.
“If China cared about it, it would not be behaving in a manner in which it is behaving with Hong Kong, Taiwan, South China Sea or the East China Sea. China only cares for power and that country and its neighbours should respect and fear it. What the world thinks is not China’s concern, so the message it is sending out is for India that China wants to do business with India and that the Galwan valley clash should be kept aside but that is not acceptable to India, although India had said that some of the investment proposals will be looked at afresh and that it will approve case by case projects.
It is a message to India by China seeking to strengthen trade relationships and move forward, keeping aside border issue", Sajjanhar reiterated.
“BRICS will be beneficial to China because China has controlling participation in Brics Bank, so I think; if the meeting of the BRICS summit takes place then it would be beneficial for China. China is looking at what is beneficial for it that China will promote and support", he further underlines.
India has assumed the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) chairmanship 2021 and is all set to host this year’s summit. This would be the third time that India would be hosting BRICS.
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China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday told the media that Beijing supports New Delhi in hosting BRICS. BRICS is now a “positive, stable and constructive force” in international affairs, he said, adding that India attaches importance to the BRICS mechanism.
Wenbin reiterated that China backs India in hosting BRICS and that it looks forward to working with India and other members of BRICS to strengthen communication dialogue, work for greater progress under BRICS and also help the world in defeating Covid-19, restore economic growth.
Notably, China has attended all the BRIC summits in the past, including the last one hosted by Russia.
However, there has been no official confirmation on the visit of Chinese Prez Xi Jinping but he might likely visit India later this year.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched India’s BRICS 2021 website www.brics2021.gov.in at the BRICS Secretariat at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
India assumed the BRICS Chairship at a time when BRICS is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Under the theme BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation, India’s approach is focused on strengthening collaboration through Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus, the ministry of external affairs said.
