The death of former President Pranab Mukherjee is a “great loss” for the friendship between China and India, China said on Tuesday, expressing its deepest condolences on the passing of the veteran Indian politician.
“Former President Mukherjee was a veteran Indian statesman. In his 50 years in politics, he has made positive contributions to China-India relations, ”Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said at the ministry’s regular briefing on Tuesday, in response to a media question. statements about Mukherjee’s death.
Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in 2014 and his meeting with Mukherjee, who was the thirteenth Indian president, he said that after the meeting the two countries had issued a joint statement on building a closer partnership.
“It is a great loss for the China-India friendship and for India. We express our deepest condolences on his passing and express our deepest condolences to the Indian government and his family, ”he said.
Mukherjee had visited China in 2016 and in a series of meetings with Chinese leadership and the business community had sought greater market access in the world’s most populous country for Indian companies.
In a speech delivered at the Guangzhou South Business and Trade Center in Guangdong Province, Mukherjee said that economic ties between the two countries had grown considerably from less than $ 3 billion in 2000.
By 2015-16, bilateral trade had exceeded $ 70 billion, he said.
“India believes that there is great potential for economic and trade cooperation between our two nations … the stability of our relationship in recent years provides a conducive basis to seize these opportunities and unite,” Mukherjee said in an indirect reference to the dispute. Current Line of Control (LAC) between the two nations.
Alluding to China’s repeated decision to block India’s inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a grouping of 48 nations, Mukherjee said that New Delhi had always supported Beijing’s inclusion in international organizations.
India, he said, believes that China’s presence must be present in multilateral organizations, otherwise its huge population would be left without representation.
“The basic cardinal principle of India’s foreign policy is to acknowledge divergences … we have never allowed ourselves to widen divergences, but to narrow divergences and expand areas of agreement,” Mukherjee had said.
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