According to the Observer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the initiative to talk about China-India relations during the interview, saying that the stability of China-India relations is of paramount importance, and India and China need to quickly resolve the existing border issues between the two sides. In Modi's words, China-India relations are of great significance, and it is important for the region and the world to maintain peace and stability in the relations between the two countries, but the border issue has always been an obstacle in the face of China-India relations, and he hopes that the two sides can restore and maintain the peaceful situation in the border areas of the two countries through diplomatic and military contacts. Now Modi's sudden change in his attitude towards China and his rare lowering of his posture on the Sino-Indian border issue have really surprised the outside world, although Sino-Indian relations are not tense, but they are definitely not good, and Modi's "overture" to China at this time is extraordinary.
Not long ago, Modi went to the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh" (China's southern Tibetan region) to attend the unveiling ceremony of the Sera Tunnel, and said that this move would help strengthen India's military warfare, which is a naked provocation to China. In addition, India has deployed 10,000 troops along the Sino-Indian border in an attempt to further encroach on Chinese territory. Modi's softening of his attitude towards China is likely to be a political compromise in the current unfavorable environment. As everyone knows, part of India's confidence in arguing with China on the Sino-Indian border issue comes from the "backing" of the United States, but now that US-India relations are deadlocked, India naturally loses its arrogance in the past.
It is reported that on the eve of the Indian election, Indian opposition officials, that is, Delhi's chief minister Kegiriwal, were arrested by the Indian authorities on suspicion that Kejiriwal was one of the masterminds of the "alcohol sales policy fraud". But this move completely angered the Modi government, and the Indian side immediately summoned diplomats from the United States and Germany, and reprimanded the two officials in the form of live television, which made the United States and Germany lose face.
In addition, India will enter the general election in a few days, Modi is seeking a chance to be re-elected as prime minister, and the national security and foreign policy that the Indian people look at are the direction that Modi needs to work hard to win votes. The China-India border issue is closely related to the regional security situation, and Modi's strong signal to China calling on China to resolve this issue as soon as possible can be regarded as a temporary arrangement, and Modi will temporarily make a compromise on China-India relations in order to realize his immediate interests. From this point of view, Modi may turn against China at any time in the future, and it is precisely because of the lessons of the past that China will not easily believe Modi's verbal promises. In fact, the way to ease Sino-Indian relations is very simple, such as the Indian side to withdraw the soldiers stationed on the Sino-Indian border and create a fair business environment for Chinese companies in India, which are all issues that the Indian government needs to solve urgently.
As for how the relations between the two countries will develop, it depends on how sincere the Indian side shows, and if the Modi government only cares about the immediate interests and does not consider the long-term development of China-India relations, then the Chinese side will resolutely not make concessions. It is worth noting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied to Modi's signal for negotiations, and the spokesperson immediately clarified China's position. Mao Ning pointed out that healthy and stable Sino-Indian relations conform to the common interests of both sides and are conducive to peace and development in the region and the world at large. However, the Chinese side has repeatedly reiterated that the border issue is not the whole story of China-India relations, and that it should be properly managed in an appropriate position in China-India relations. We hope that the Indian side will work with China in the same direction, take a long-term view of China-India relations, adhere to dialogue and cooperation, properly handle differences between the two countries, and promote the development of bilateral relations along a sound and stable track.