As neighbors, it is natural for China and India to have some differences, but the focus should be on seeking common ground for development while solving the outstanding problems through dialogue, outgoing Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said on Tuesday.

His comments came at the end of his tenure of just over three years, when India-China ties were strained after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020, which represented the worst military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

“China and India are important neighbors for each other. It is only natural that China and India have some differences. The key is how you manage the differences,” Sun said in his parting words.

“We should be aware that the common interests of the two countries outweigh the differences. Meanwhile, both sides should strive to manage and resolve the differences, and seek a reasonable solution through dialogue and consultation, rather than defining China-India relations differences,” he said.

He also referred to Rabindranath Tagore. “The famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore said that we Easterners cannot borrow the spirit of the West or the temperament of the West. We must discover our own right to be born with it. I totally agree with him.”

Sun said the two countries must respect each other’s political systems and development paths, and uphold the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and avoid “misunderstanding and misjudgment.”

“When Western theory of geopolitics is applied to China-India relations, large neighboring countries like ourselves will inevitably see each other as threats and rivals. Consequently, competition and confrontation will be the main form of interaction and a zero-sum game will be an inevitable outcome,” he said.

“But the reality is that geographic proximity is an objective existence. It should be an opportunity for us to have more interaction and collaboration, to fulfill our potential and to learn from and complement each other,” said the ambassador.

Mentioning three specific dimensions of Sino-India relations, the ambassador stressed enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

“We should improve communication and cooperation. China and India have established dialogue mechanisms at different levels and departments. We should make full use of all communication channels, deepen mutual understanding to avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments,” he said.

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