The Chinese envoy to India said on Monday that some “Indian friends” had suggested to him that New Delhi, Islamabad and Beijing may hold “some kind of trilateral summit” on the sidelines of a future Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
“If Russia, China and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit then why not India, China and Pakistan?” Luo Zhaohui said at an event in New Delhi, according to ANI. “We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Let’s make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border.”
The ambassador further said: “We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through special representatives.”
On Twitter, Luo said that the Wuhan summit in April between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had created “a new model of engagement” between the two leaders. The envoy said India and China are neighbours who “cannot be moved away”. “Our relations so multifaceted and complicated, calling for special care and attention,” he added.
China and India, as major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers against the backdrop of anti-globalisation and rising protectionism, Luo said. “We should coordinate our positions and also explore ways to be with each other.”
The envoy proposed 5Cs – Communication, Cooperation, Contacts, Coordination and Control – to improve India-China relations. He said China would like to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with India, and encourage economic cooperation on major projects.
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