A few days ago, the Indian media "Hindustan Times" reported that China is likely to send a new Chinese ambassador to India before the results of the Indian general election in June this year, and the candidate is Xu Feihong, the former assistant foreign minister of China, and the earliest time to take office may be in mid-May.
This is not the first time that news has come out about China's new ambassador to India. As early as January this year, the Times of India revealed that Xu Feihong was likely to become the new Chinese ambassador to India. At the same time, another report claimed a few days ago that as early as the end of last year, Xu Feihong had been appointed as an envoy to India.
In October 2022, Sun Weidong, then China's ambassador to India, delivered his resignation speech, and since then, the post of Chinese ambassador to India has been vacant for 18 months. It was only a year and a half before China planned to send a new ambassador to India, and the purpose was obviously not simple. The most important topics around the topic between China and India are Sino-Indian relations and border issues.
["Hindustan Times" reported that Chinese diplomat Xu Feihong may take up the post of new Chinese ambassador to India by June this year]
Although China and India are neighbors, their relations are really not good, especially after the withdrawal of the British colonists, the Sino-Indian border issue left over has become the biggest obstacle to the development of relations between the two countries.
After the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict, China-India relations have become increasingly tense, and since then, the two countries have not held dialogues, holding 21 rounds of military commander-level talks and 29 rounds of negotiations on the border affairs consultation and coordination mechanism, but the results have not been very obvious.
Recently, the relations between China and India and the border situation have become more and more tense. The Sino-Indian border issue has become a key factor influencing bilateral relations, and the Indian side has repeatedly stressed when the border issue will be resolved and when the two countries will have normal and friendly exchanges.
Obviously, India's attitude on the border issue is very tough, and although it has said that it is not an enemy of China, it has not left behind in its provocations against China on the border. Increasing troops on the border has become a common means for India, and Modi is also willing to personally go out to hype up the Sino-Indian border area and declare India's so-called "sovereignty" over the border area.
Now, India is in the midst of a general election, after which a new leadership will likely bring about a shift in India's foreign policy and provide new ideas and opportunities for resolving the Sino-Indian border issue.
[Modi is likely to be re-elected as Prime Minister of India]
Judging from the current election situation, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win a majority of seats in the lower house of India by an overwhelming majority, so as to continue to serve as India's ruling party, and Modi himself will be successfully re-elected to start his third term. And despite the Modi government's current hawkish stance on China, the Indian election is still an opportunity for China.
Why do you say that? The Modi government has been preparing for this election for a long time, and correspondingly, the offensive of its rivals has long been put on the ground. It is said that India is now taking a tough stance on China, but the Indian opposition party believes that the Modi government's China policy is still too "moderate" and uses it as a means of attack.
Therefore, in recent times, the Modi government's hardline attitude on the border issue has been traceable, and this pressure from the inside has prompted the Modi government to take a more resolute attitude on the border issue. In other words, taking a tough policy toward China has become an important political card for India's political parties to curry favor with domestic voters.
Since a hardline policy toward China is one of the methods used by various political parties in India to elect for election, we cannot rule out that the new government will adjust its existing China policy and slightly ease its hardline stance on China after the Indian general election, no matter who the final winner is. Moreover, after the election in India, it is necessary to re-form a cabinet, and whether there will be any changes in the cabinet members, it is also a good opportunity for dialogue between China and India.
[Tense situation on the Sino-Indian border]
Of course, it is not impossible for the new government to continue to maintain a hardline or tougher policy toward China after the end of India's general election, and it is all the more necessary to appoint a Chinese ambassador to India in advance at this time.
China's appointment of a new ambassador to India is a clever move to "advance and attack, retreat and defend", and it is very flexible.
On the one hand, the appointment is a positive response to the current tensions between China and India. The appointment of the new Chinese ambassador to India is undoubtedly a clear signal to India and the world that China is willing to resolve differences through dialogue and promote the healthy development of bilateral relations, laying a positive foundation for subsequent exchanges between the two sides, and strengthening direct communication and coordination between the two countries, especially on thorny issues such as border issues and trade imbalances.
On the other hand, this appointment will also enable China to prepare in advance for potential changes in India's foreign policy, etc., and provide effective assistance in reassessing and adjusting the strategy of Sino-Indian relations.
[Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet]
As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and India, as our neighbor, can only promote the stability of China's surrounding situation and create a good environment for development if the relations between the two countries are good. In particular, the current international environment is complex and volatile, and the stability and development of China-India relations are particularly crucial.
It is worth noting that both China and India have demonstrated great potential for cooperation and complementarity, both in the economic field and in dealing with common regional and global issues.
Against this background, China has always hoped that Sino-Indian relations and the Sino-Indian border issue can be handled by peaceful means. The appointment of China's new ambassador to India is clearly another attempt by China. We also hope that the Indian side will receive the "subtext" of the Chinese side, promote the strengthening of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries at an early date, and open a new chapter in bilateral relations.