After a hiatus of 18 months amid the protracted border stand-off since May 2020, China has finally sent an Ambassador, Xu Feihong, who arrived in New Delhi last week with his wife Tan Yuxiu.
China is ready to work with India to “accommodate” each other’s concerns and find a mutually acceptable solution to “specific issues” through dialogue at an early date, Xu said. Xu, 60, who has served as China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, was appointed the 17th Chinese Ambassador to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xu said he regards his posting in New Delhi as an “honourable mission and a sacred duty” to improve and advance bilateral ties. “I will do my best to deepen understanding and friendship between the two peoples, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and improve and advance the bilateral relationship,” Xu said in a media interaction in Beijing before leaving for New Delhi.
“China is ready to work with India to accommodate each other’s concerns, find a mutually acceptable solution to specific issues through dialogue at an early date, and turn the page as soon as possible,” Xu said without elaborating further.
He added: “I noted Prime Minister Modi’s comments on the importance of China-India ties, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded to that right afterwards.” In his recent interview with Newsweek magazine, Prime Minister Modi said India’s relationship with China is important and significant.
“The Chinese side always believes that China-India ties should not be defined by any single issue or area; the boundary question is not the entirety of the relationship. Speaking at the Indian Council of World Affairs in September 2014, President Xi Jinping said that we must not focus our attention only on differences and forget about our friendship and cooperation,” Xu said.
