PM Modi on India-China Relations: ‘Dialogue Over Discord’ in Lex Fridman Podcast

PM Modi on India-China Relations: During a recent appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his keen desire to consolidate the government's relationship between India and China, with extra competitive grounds to create a world spiced up with non-conflicts while ensuring that difference does not become dispute.

Thus, he reiterated the preferred tendency of PM Modi towards dialogue instead of conflict.

He asked the prime minister about how his "friendship" with Xi Jinping-the Chinese president would be revived to bring down the tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.

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‘No real history of conflict’

The prime minister went on to say that this is not a new relationship between India and China, asserting that both the countries have ancient cultures and civilisations.

"If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other. Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point, India and China alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP. That's how massive India's contribution was. And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections," the Prime Minister told Fridman.

According to him, for centuries of historical happenings, there has not been any clear backdrop for any conflict between India and China.

Adding to this, the PM spoke of how Buddhism influences China deeply, proclaiming that this is where the thinking of the two nations' relations originated. "Our relationship should remain just as strong in the future. It should continue to grow," he added.

'Differences are natural'

PM Modi added that it was only part and parcel of having relations with two neighbouring countries to have some quarrels. "Very normal difference in such type of countries," he said comparing them with a family, as even in a family, things are not altogether perfect.

"But our focus is to ensure that these differences don't turn into disputes. That's what we actively work toward," the PM said.

He further added, "Instead of discord, we emphasise on dialogue. Because it is only through dialogue, that we can build a stable, cooperative relationship that serves the best interests of both the nations."

India-China border disputes

Those are disputes between India and China, conceded the Prime Minister. He also mentioned how those incidents serve as major tensions that riddled this phase between the two nations in 2020.

However, he said, "after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return."

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'Competition, not conflict'

He said these things certainly takes some time, given that it has already been five years.

"And since the 21st century is Asia's century, we want India and China to compete healthily. Competition is not a bad thing, but it should never turn into a conflict," PM Modi emphasised.

Such co-operation is beneficial and indeed necessary for global stability and prosperity, as he noted.

Last year, India and China made a significant headway in their border talks with the successful disengagement process at the two major friction points in eastern Ladakh. Following this, PM Modi and President Xi had held discussions in Kazan, where they agreed to renew dialogue mechanisms for a better relationship between the two nations.

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