Neighbors can sustain improvement in ties

Both China and India are at a critical stage of their national development and rejuvenation, and their relationship has transcended the bilateral scope and bears regional and global significance. Both are fast-developing countries, important members of the Global South and major players in a multipolar world. When they join hands in cooperation, it benefits not only the two countries but also the whole of Asia and the world at large.

It is regrettable therefore that their relationship nosedived to a historical low in June 2020 following a deadly clash between their border troops.

Given the damage India's subsequent politically motivated and shortsighted measures have inflicted on bilateral relations over the past several years, the latest developments following an agreement on disengagement in the border area concerned are encouraging, as they send a positive signal of a mutually beneficial restart of the cooperative partnership between the two Asian giants.

Beijing has long held that China and India, as good neighbors and good friends, should not let their bilateral relations be defined solely by their border disputes. Rather, they should work jointly to properly manage the differences that exist between them, and handle them through consultations and by addressing each other's major concerns.

The leaders of the two countries reached an important consensus that China and India are not rivals or threats to each other, but are partners that offer development opportunities to each other. This has provided a clear direction for bilateral relations.

It is therefore to be welcomed that now that the two countries have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along their disputed border, India is ready to consider "other aspects" of its relations with China, as Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made clear.

"The conclusion of the disengagement phase now allows us to consider other aspects of our bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner," he told parliament on Tuesday. "Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement ... have set our ties in the direction of some improvement."

That India has indicated its readiness to turn a new page marks a major step forward in the two countries' efforts to bring their relationship back onto the track of sound and steady development.

Despite their long-standing border dispute, the world's two largest developing countries have become increasingly interdependent in trade and economic fields. China overtook the United States to become India's largest trading partner in the fiscal year 2024, with total trade between the two countries reaching $118.4 billion.

The latest upturn in relations continues the pragmatic progress that has been made in resetting bilateral ties in recent months. Hopefully, the two countries will build on the trust they have gained from their sustained talks that produced the border arrangement, and work together to carry forward their cooperative partnership, which concerns not only the well-being of their 2.8 billion people, but also peace and stability of the region and beyond.

China has made clear that it is ready to enhance the synergy between the two neighbors' respective development strategies, share its experiences of advancing modernization with India and strengthen cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology to benefit the two peoples. Beijing is convinced that the two countries have enough wisdom and capability to properly handle their border dispute and find a solution acceptable to both sides, and it hopes to work with New Delhi to advance bilateral relations on a healthy and stable track.

Both sides should correctly view each other's strategic intentions and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, so as to build the mutual trust and mutual respect necessary to enable them to harness the good momentum that has been obtained from their talks to defuse the border tensions, and further strengthen their communication and cooperation in various fields.