The ministry of external affairs has hit out at reports that critiqued the recent first strategic dialogue with China, where foreign secretary S. Jaishankar represented India.
"We found that the strategic dialogue in its restructured form to be a productive exercise that addressed the full complexity of India-China relations. It is important to take a balanced and objective view of what is clearly one of the key relationships in international politics,'' an MEA statement said.
The MEA clarification came in response to a question on an article that appeared in the Chinese newspaper the Global Times.
The note adds, "Our assessment is that the recent meeting was positive and constructive. We both agreed that at the time when the global situation is in a flux, a more stable and substantive and forward looking India-China relationship was good for the international system. The two sides had open and useful exchanges on Afghanistan, The UN, counter terrorism and nuclear issues.''
"While in some cases, we found common ground, in others, it was felt that dialogue should continue further," it said. Though the MEA did not mention it, two thorns on India's side remained—the Chinese stance regarding Hafeez Sayeed as well as its opposition to India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
It further said, "On the bilateral side, there was appreciation of progress on areas like investment and tourism. At the same time, both sides articulated their respective concerns and remain committed to working together in that regard."
A recent article in the Global Times had suggested that New Delhi could take a leaf out of how Beijing benefited from its relationship with the US, despite major ideological differences and visible geopolitical confrontations. "It is in India's interest to rationalise the concerns over its disparity with China and embrace it as a helpful catalyst to closing the existing Sino-Indian gap," it had said.
