We value India ties but will stay firm on sovereign rights: China

China always values good neighbourliness and friendship with India, but it is also firm on upholding its “sovereign rights”, interests and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday. Beijing handled the Dokalam standoff with “restraint”, showing the “emphasis” it places on ties with New Delhi, he said.

Touching on China’s relations with major countries and its diplomatic initiatives last year, Yi, in a lengthy article in the Chinese International Studies journal, dwelt about Sinoindia ties, stating that Beijing’s diplomatic engagement with New Delhi resulted in India withdrawing its troops and equipment from Dokalam. The journal is published by China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank attached to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The 73-day standoff at Dokalam over which Bhutan also has counter claims began in June last year when Indian troops objected to Chinese army building a road close to India’s Chicken-neck Corridor, a narrow corridor connect- ing north- eastern states. The standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops agreed to stop building the road following which both the sides agreed on the “expeditious disengagement” of personnel at Dokalam, according to the External Affairs Ministry.

Yi said China always values the good neighbourliness and friendship with India as “we are each other’s big neighbours and ancient civilisations”.

“We believe as we continue to engage in in-depth strategic communication and promptly dispel strategic misgivings, the strategic value of China-india cooperation will speak for itself and there will be a prospect of ‘the Dragon and Elephant dancing together’ and 1+1=11 effect as expected by the leaders,” Yi said.