China hails PM Modi's active foreign policy amid Doklam row

Beijing [China], July 26 (ANI): China has lauded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's active foreign policy, saying that he has reformed the country's foreign investment policy and encouraged domestic enterprises to go into the international market. In an analytical news report titled 'China-India cooperation helps promote open global trade, counter protectionism,' Chinese state-owned Xinhua news agency said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has implemented an active foreign policy, has reformed foreign investment policy and has encouraged domestic enterprises to go on the international market." The report said that strengthening of the trade cooperation and the advocacy of open trade policy between the world's two biggest markets China and India will definitely contribute to promoting open global trade and containing protectionism. Praising India's open foreign economic policy as an important force for the current world where protectionism is on the rise, Xinhua said that New Delhi has adopted a positive and open foreign economic policy and has been an important supporter for the open foreign trade policy. The report highlighted that a favourable investment climate has been created in India by actively attracting foreign investment, while noting that the country has been the largest destination for foreign direct investment in the world for the past two years. "India's current reform and opening policies are very attractive, which puts forward a 'made in India' strategic planning, proposes the road of 'eastward strategy' and so on," the report quoted Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India, as saying. The country has also "put forward a lot of inter-connectivity initiatives, and vigourously promotes multi-sector technical and economic cooperation agreements of the Bay of Bengal rim. In terms of inter-connectivity and the Belt and Road Initiative, we two big neighboring countries should be natural partners," he added. The report further said that China-India cooperation can effectively improve openness of the world economy, and counter trade protectionism, which is now largely led by the United States under the Donald Trump administration. Asserting that the two developing countries share common views and stands on many international affairs, Xinhua cited an example saying India has cleared its commitment to developing green economy and is a champion of the Paris Climate Agreement. "After the United States formally withdrew from the agreement, the Indian Prime Minister has made clear his commitment to developing green energy, and promised that India's efforts of tackling climate change will not be limited to the Paris Climate Agreement," it said. The report also quoted Prasoon Sharma, a researcher at a global think tank in India, as saying that China and India would drive economic growth of the world, promote trade balance across the globe and bring peace and happiness to the people of the world, if the two sides join hands as they are the largest markets and manufacturing sectors of the world. The report drew attention to the fact that two countries have great potential in finance, which is regarded as the original intention and cooperation content of the BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This appreciation by the Chinese media comes at a time when Indian and Chinese troops continue to be locked in a stand-off in Doklam and have moved additional troops, ammunition and military equipment to the area. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has beefed up its defence in a region south of the Kunlun Mountains under the pretext of conducting a military exercise near Tibet. Hardware has been moved simultaneously by road and rail by China's western theatre command, which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, and handles, among others, border issues with India, media reports have said. This show of strength is being projected by Beijing as a warning to India by China to back off from its objection to China constructing a road at the Doklam tri-junction. The stand-off emerged after Chinese troops were stopped by the Indian Army from constructing roads at the Doklam border. India claims Sikkim border as part of its territory, while China has said that the area falls on their side as per the 1890 treaty signed between British and China. Consequently, China suspended the annual Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and conceded that the decision to suspend the pilgrimage was due to the border scuffle. It also alleged that the Indian troops had crossed the Sikkim Sector of the Indo-China border. Beijing has accused New Delhi of violating a convention signed in 1890 between Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. (ANI)