China has said that relations with India “remain stable on the whole”. The declaration comes a day after China confirmed that its president Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 summit. Instead, the country would be sending a delegation led by Premier Li Qiang. China also said that it was willing to work “to promote greater development of China-India relations”.
No official reason was given for Xi's absence. He had attended the BRICS summit in South Africa in August. The last time Xi skipped the G20 summit was in 2013. Vladimir Putin, President of China's ally Russia will also be skipping the conclave, which will take place in New Delhi, India.
When Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked if Xi’s decision to stay away reflected tensions between India and China, she said that China has “always attached great importance” to the G20 and supported “India in hosting this year’s summit”.
“China is ready to work with all parties to push for the success of the G20 summit,” Ning added.
“We are ready to work with India to promote greater development of China-India relations,” she said. "China has put out maps with territories (that are) not theirs. (It is an) old habit. Just by putting out maps with parts of India... this doesn't change anything. Our government is very clear about our territory. Making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours," Ning said.
The development also comes after China, on August 30, released a map showing the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as being within China’s borders. Relations between the two nations have been strained since the military stand-off at east Ladakh in 2020. The two nations have held bilateral ties to resolve the issue, but, no substantial solution has emerged.
