Ambassador to India Sun Weidong: China and India should take the Yangguan Road of mutual benefit and win-win results, rather than taking the "one-wood bridge" where you lose and I win

Source: Chinese Embassy in India

On September 23, Ambassador to India Sun Weidong was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Fourth China-India High-level Track II Dialogue co-sponsored by the School of International Relations of Sichuan University, the Center for South Asian Studies of China and the Indian Institute of Defense Research and Analysis by video and delivered a speech. Dai Bingguo, former Chinese State Councilor, attended the opening ceremony.

Ambassador Sun Weidong's speech is as follows:

Dear Mr. Dai Bingguo, former State Councilor of the People's Republic of China,

Dear Chinese and Indian scholars,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon!

It is an honor to attend the Fourth China-India High-Level Track II Dialogue. First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Dai Bingguo for his dedication to China-India relations. Our insights into China-India relations are always inspiring and help us to clear the "fog" and find the right direction for China-India relations. I would like to thank the organizers of the event, Sichuan University and the Indian Institute of Defense Research and Analysis for their meticulous preparations for the dialogue. Attending the meeting today are influential experts and scholars, many of whom have previously undertaken important work in the diplomatic, military, and economic fields of the two countries. I would like to take this opportunity to have a frank and in-depth exchange of views with you.

Since last year, Sino-Indian relations have faced difficulties that have not been encountered in many years, and they are still hovering at a low ebb. At present, the world has entered a period of turbulent change, the new crown pneumonia epidemic is still spreading, the global economic recovery is weak, and the situation in Afghanistan has suddenly changed, which has a major impact on the regional situation. As the largest developing countries and emerging economies, China and India should strengthen coordination and cooperation, jointly fight the epidemic, seek common development and revitalization, jointly safeguard Asian unity, and jointly promote world peace and development. The current situation of Sino-Indian relations is obviously not in the fundamental interests of both sides. Many people of insight in the two countries advocate that China and India should improve their relations and push bilateral relations back on track. I would like to share a few comments on this.

First, as the two great powers in the East, China and India must avoid falling into the trap of the old thinking of the West. According to the so-called realist international relations theory in the West, neighboring powers such as China and India must regard each other as threats and opponents, competition and confrontation are the main modes of interaction, spheres of influence, zero-sum games, and competition for hegemony are mantras. The Western way of thinking of pursuing power politics and the law of the jungle runs counter to the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results in the 21st century and is unpopular. Even the most powerful country in the world today is doomed to failure if it arbitrarily intervenes militarily in other countries in an attempt to impose its own values and social systems on others. Afghanistan is the latest example.

As an ancient civilization, China and India have always pursued "the unity of the world" and "one family in the world", advocating tolerance and harmony, and seeking common ground while reserving differences. We should jointly follow the path of peaceful development and let the people of the two countries live a better life, instead of repeating the mistakes of history and taking the evil road of confrontation and conflict between the two developing powers. China does not agree with the logic of "a strong country must be hegemonic", and our historical wisdom is that "national hegemony will decline". No matter how far China develops, it will never seek hegemony or expand. Some Indian people believe that China has become India's "main threat" and "strategic opponent", which is a serious strategic misjudgment, and if this judgment becomes India's foreign policy, it may become a "self-fulfilling prophecy", which we do not want to see.

Second, it is necessary to view the relations between the two countries from a comprehensive rather than one-sided perspective. Sino-Indian relations are multi-level and multi-dimensional, with contradictions and differences, and more consensus and cooperation. All aspects of the bilateral relationship should promote each other, not hinder each other. We must avoid generalizations, because of small losses, only to see the trees do not see the forest. For example, peace and tranquility in border areas are important, but that's not the whole of bilateral relations.

China has always viewed China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and has made unremitting efforts to this end. When the Indian side suffered a serious impact of the second wave of the epidemic, the Chinese side reached out to help at the first time and overcame difficulties to ensure the smooth supply of medical supplies to India. The pragmatic cooperation between China and India meets the needs of both sides and is highly complementary. In the face of the impact of the epidemic, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries bucked the trend, reaching 57.5 billion US dollars in the first half of this year, an increase of 62%. The two countries have extensive common interests in international and regional issues. Just this month, the leaders of the two countries jointly attended the BRICS Summit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit to jointly discuss and respond to the outstanding challenges facing the international and regional regions. It only takes one party to break the relationship, and it takes the two countries to work together to get the relationship right. China-India relations should be a two-lane course of mutual respect, mutual consideration of each other's concerns, and win-win cooperation, rather than a one-way line in which one side makes demands and conditions, and the other side responds.

Third, China and India should adhere to strategic autonomy and take their destiny into their own hands. In the middle of the last century, China and India won national liberation and national independence and achieved national development, and they had important influence in the international community, and an important reason was to adhere to independence and self-reliance. A large country like China and India, with a population of more than a billion, can only rely on itself for development, not on others. The primary task of both sides is to achieve development and revitalization and concentrate on running their own affairs well. At present, out of ideological prejudice and Cold War mentality, some countries are vigorously engaged in closed and exclusive "small circles" that seek to contain third parties, and encourage group confrontation and geopolitical games. In fact, containing other countries will not make themselves better, and gangs will not make themselves safer. Once you get on someone else's boat, you can't take the helm yourself. 20 years ago, the United States launched the war in Afghanistan, and many countries boarded the American chariot. What benefits will these countries gain 20 years from now? We should adhere to real strategic autonomy, not only in terms of statements, but also in action.

Friends,

This year we solemnly celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. President Xi Jinping solemnly declared that we have achieved the first centenary goal, built a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way on the land of China, historically solved the problem of absolute poverty, and are moving towards the second centenary goal of comprehensively building a socialist modern power. India is also moving towards its own development goals. Both China and India need a good external environment, especially the surrounding environment. Proceeding from the fundamental interests of the two countries, we should explore ways for the two neighboring powers to live in harmony and develop and revitalize together.

First of all, China and India should enhance mutual trust and grasp the correct direction of bilateral relations. China and India should lay a solid foundation for mutual trust, adhere to the strategic consensus that mutual protection does not pose a threat and are mutually developed opportunities, and that the two countries are partners rather than competitors; they must meticulously safeguard mutual trust, and do not do anything that is conducive to mutual trust, no matter how small it is, what is conducive to mutual trust, no matter how difficult it is, they must work hard to do it, and hope that the Indian side will respect China's core interests on issues related to Tibet, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, be cautious in words and deeds, and abide by its commitments. It is necessary to eliminate the interference of mutual trust, not to interfere in the internal affairs of the other party, not to be provoked by a malicious third party, and not to join an "alliance" or "quasi-alliance" against the other party. To foster an atmosphere of mutual trust, officials, think tank scholars, and the news media should speak out more rationally and constructively, not the other way around.

Second, China and India should strengthen dialogue and promote cooperation. Since the beginning of this year, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Su Jiesheng have met and talked on many occasions, and a few days ago the two sides held bilateral meetings in Dushanbe. We should strengthen communication and dialogue at all levels and in all fields to promote the gradual improvement of bilateral relations. There is great potential for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, but since last year, bilateral cooperation has been artificially restricted by some Indians. We should build more bridges than walls, and complement each other rather than decouple. It is hoped that the Indian side will create a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in India. If all Chinese enterprises are blown away and squeezed out, what good will it do to the Indian side? This issue deserves serious consideration by the Indian side. In addition, China and India should also strengthen communication and coordination on multilateral affairs, jointly respond to global issues such as the epidemic, disaster prevention and poverty reduction, energy security, and climate change, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Third, China and India should properly manage their differences and avoid their differences from escalating into disputes. We should place the border issue in the proper position of bilateral relations and seek a just, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through consultations on an equal footing. The Chinese side has always properly handled the China-India border issue in a positive manner, and the current border situation between the two countries is generally developing in the direction of relaxation. It is hoped that the Indian side and the Chinese side will move in the same direction, promote the situation to continue to stabilize and gradually change from emergency response to normal control, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. For other differences, it is also necessary to focus on narrowing rather than expanding the goal, communicate frankly, and seek acceptable solutions.

At present, Sino-Indian relations are at an important juncture, and we need to make a correct choice. In the final analysis, China and India should jointly follow the Yangguan Road of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, and mutual benefit and win-win results, rather than taking the "one-wood bridge" of mutual confrontation, suspicion and consumption, and you lose and I win. I hope that you will openly and frankly talk about the current situation facing China-India relations, make responsible suggestions, and make suggestions and suggestions for China-India relations to return to the track of healthy and stable development. Finally, I wish this dialogue every success.

Thank you!