Sino-Indian relations will be peaceful: Consul General

by Natalie Wang

The Consul General of India in Hong Kong and Macao downplayed speculation of a possible war between India and China over the South China Sea and emphasized Indias desire for a peaceful resolution.

Gaddam Dharmendra, India’s top diplomat in Hong Kong  said at the University of Hong Kong that belligerent moves against each other were only going to bring unforeseen consequences.

In early October this year, Sino-Indian relations encountered a major bump.An Indian company, ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), held talks with Vietnam on exploration rights in the South China Sea and signed an agreement of long term cooperation.

In September when the possible oil exploration deal was discussed, Jiang Yu, Chinese Foreign Minister Spokesperson, said South China Sea was part of Chinas core interest and warned India off, according to Xinhua News,a state news agency.

For countries outside the region, we hope they will respect and support countries in the region to solve this dispute through bilateral channels, she said.

Our consistent position is that we are opposed to any country engaging in oil and gas exploration and development activities in waters under Chinas jurisdiction, she added.

Mr. Dharmendra admitted that problems exist between China and India on such issues as the South China Sea, Tibet and the Sino-Indian border along Himalaya, that have seen incursions over the last three decades, but it is the willingness to work together and enhance transparency that advances Sino-Indian relations.

He said: No one wants to go down the same road again after the Sino-Indian warwhich happened in 1962 over a disputed Himalayan border.

Mr. Dharmendra said China now has become Indias largest trade partner and the relationship between the two countries was going to be one of the most important in the 21 ^st century.

He said that Indias main goal over the years had stayed the same, which is stability and development, and India posed no threat to China.

He said India still lags far behind China in economic power. In terms of infrastructure, manufacture capability, system management, logistical management, we still have years to go, he said, the biggest holdback for us in terms of economic progress has been infrastructure issues.

Other domestic problems, such as a brain drain and corruption, have dampened Indias economic growth, according to Mr. Dharmendra.

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