India, China Must Work To Stabilise Global Economy: Modi
Modi’s remarks come in the wake of the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, half of which is described as a “penalty” for importing Russian oil.
New Delhi:Given the current volatility in the world economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it was important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the global economic order.
Modi’s remarks come in the wake of the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, half of which is described as a “penalty” for importing Russian oil.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday.
According to Japanese media reports, Modi said: “India is ready to advance bilateral relations with China from a strategic and long-term perspective based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, and to enhance strategic communication to address our developmental challenges.”
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I will travel to Tianjin to take part in the SCO summit. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan (in Russia, during an earlier SCO meet) last year, steady and positive progress has been made in our bilateral ties. Stable, predictable, and amicable relations between India and China, the two largest nations on Earth, can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity. This is also crucial for a multi-polar Asia and world,” Modi said.
At a special briefing by the ministry of external affairs in Tokyo, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the issue of American tariffs had not been discussed during talks between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba.
Asked about India’s ties with the US and China, the foreign secretary said India and Japan had discussed bilateral relations, adding that he did not want to comment on “two other capitals (Washington and Beijing) that were not in the room.”
From a security perspective, despite improving ties, India continues to share a degree of wariness with China — along with countries like Japan — as both New Delhi and Tokyo have separate territorial disputes with Beijing.