President Amit Saraogi,
Chairman Arun Kumar Garodia,
Vice President Priti A. Sureka,
Deputy Director General Subhasis Roy,
Nomoskar! Good afternoon!
It is a great pleasure to attend the MCCI’s event. I would like to extend my appreciation to Mr. Amit Saraogi, Ms. Priti A. Sureka, Mr. Subhasis Roy, and their team for the careful preparation and thoughtful arrangements for this event. Tomorrow is Deepawali. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Deepawali and Shubho Deepavali in advance!
Today’s event is timely. Last week, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia. They reached important common understandings on improving and developing China-India relations and set the course to steer bilateral relations back on the path of steady development. This is the first formal meeting between two leaders in the past five years, which is constructive and carries great significance. The two sides reached a series of common understandings, including strengthening communication and cooperation, enhancing strategic mutual trust; holding talks between our foreign ministers and officials at various levels to bring the relationship back to sound and steady development at an early date; making good use of the Special Representatives mechanism on the China-India boundary question, ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas, and find a fair and reasonable settlement; strengthening communication and cooperation in multilateral fora to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.
Standing at a new starting point, China-India relations are facing new development opportunities. I would like to take this opportunity to share my views on strengthening China-India relations and commercial cooperation. I also look forward to listening to your insights and jointly taking China-India relations to a new height.
Ladies, gentlemen and friends,
Living side by side, the Chinese and the Indian people conducted exchanges and mutual learning in ancient times and endured hardship together in modern history. Now we are pursuing the same mission of national renewal. Mahatma Gandhi once observed that China and India are fellow travelers sharing weal and woe in a common journey. This is my first visit to Kolkata, the “City of Joy.” After days of visits, I deeply feel that this city is the witness of the friendship between the two countries, showing that China-India friendly exchanges transcend regions and time.
China and India enriched each other through cultural exchanges. Countless Indian friends have visited China, and the great poet Tagore from Kolkata is one of them. Tagore made important contributions to promoting cultural exchanges between China and India, and enhanced the friendship between the two peoples. This year is the 100th anniversary of Tagore’s visit to China. A hundred years later, we must protect and inherit the spiritual legacy of Tagore’s visit to China, encourage the people of the two countries to have a deeper understanding of each other’s traditions and find common ground between Tagore’s thoughts on peace, tolerance and cooperation, and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. In the meantime, Kolkata has the earliest and largest Chinese settlement in India. For over two centuries, the Chinese in Kolkata have gone through ups and downs and continued striving for improvement. They have made great contributions to local economy and social development, and promoted cultural exchanges between China and India. Traditional Chinese architecture has become an important manifestation of Kolkata’s cultural diversity.
China and India supported each other in national independence and liberation. In 1938, during the most difficult period of the Anti-Japanese War for the Chinese people, a medical team composed of five heroes came to China from India. Among the team members, Dr. Bejoy Kumar Basu and Dr. Debesh Mukerjee graduated from the Kolkata Medical College, which is not far from today’s venue. As the longest-serving doctor in the medical team aiding China, Dr. Basu has saved countless lives with his superb medical skills. He also introduced Chinese acupuncture to India and opened an acupuncture class in Kolkata, which trained more than 100 students.
China and India are benefiting each other in development cooperation. China-India commercial cooperation has maintained a good momentum for a long time. This year, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India have issued over two hundred and forty thousand visas, 80% of which were business visas. This shows the vitality of economic and trade exchanges between the two countries. China has become India’s largest trading partner, and bilateral trade has exceeded one hundred billion US dollars for many years. India’s exports to China have grown steadily, and export products like fish and shrimp from Kolkata to China have increased by nearly 70% in the past three years. Also, Chinese companies in Kolkata have covered agriculture sector like shrimp feed, manufacturing sector like coach production, service sector like hospitality. Chinese companies have made important contributions to local development and exports. Facts show that China-India commercial exchanges are inseparable. Indian media reported that some electronic, chemical, and renewable energy products still need to be imported from China. Imposing tariffs and restrictions on Chinese products is not conducive to the development of downstream industries and the interests of consumers in India. Indian companies need highly skilled workers from China to install equipment and carry out repairs. The Chief Economic Advisor of the Indian Government also called for more investment from China in the new “Economic Survey.”
Ladies, gentlemen and friends,
As President Xi emphasized in his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, China and India both stand at a crucial phase of their respective modernization endeavors, and development is now the biggest shared goal of China and India. China is advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. India has also put forward the vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047”. The two countries have the same development goals and broad prospects for cooperation. China wants to develop well for itself, and hopes India will develop well too. No country understands better than China what a great cause it is to enable more than 1.4 billion Indians to live a good life, and how much effort it requires. We would like to work with India to help each other succeed, achieve common development and revitalization, promote the unity and cooperation of the Global South, and join hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
China has a deep understanding of the mutually beneficial nature of China-India cooperation and is actively transforming it into policies and actions. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held this July opened a new round of comprehensive reform, more than 300 reform policies were proposed, attracting global attention. This September, I met with Chairmen of some of India’s leading companies during my visit to Gujarat and Maharashtra. These entrepreneurs have studied the policies proposed by the Third Plenary Session, and are even familiar with important concepts such as “new quality productive forces.” I believe that these entrepreneurs pay close attention to the latest developments in China because they think that China’s policies will bring new development opportunities to all countries, including India. As two major neighboring developing countries and emerging economies, and the only two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, China and India need to and will be closely linked for their development. To this end, I hope to see the following:
First, closer commercial ties between the two major markets. The Chinese market has huge opportunities. In 2023, China’s GDP grew by 5.2%, ranking as the second-largest economy in the world. China has 400 million middle-class people and the number is still growing. China’s overall tariff level has dropped to about 7%, close to the level of developed members of the WTO. China’s total imports have exceeded 2 trillion US dollars for five consecutive years, and the import volume in 2023 reached 2.6 trillion US dollars. Data proves that China is not only the world’s “big factory” but also the world’s “big market.” The Third Plenary Session has made arrangements to accelerate the building of a unified national market, refine long-term mechanisms for expanding consumption, and reduce relevant restrictions. Recognizing the significance of China’s enormous market, India’s high-quality products will have broad business opportunities in China. In fact, in Fiscal Year 2024, some products that the Indian industry promoted, such as pepper, iron ore, and cotton yarn have achieved an increase of more than 17%, 160%, and 240% in exports to China. China welcomes more Indian companies to make full use of platforms such as the China International Import Expo to help more Indian high-quality products to be exported to China and share China’s development dividends.
Second, closer business cooperation between the two neighboring countries. To quote a Chinese saying, “The ocean is vast because it rejects no rivers.” Actively attracting FDI and effectively protecting the rights and interests of foreign enterprises are the reasons behind China’s rapid development. In fact, not only Chinese companies invest in India, many Indian companies have also crossed the Himalayan Mountains to invest in China. By maintaining the stability and continuity of FDI policies, China continues to consolidate the confidence of foreign companies in China. The Third Plenary Session proposed that all restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing industry be removed comprehensively, and foreign companies are encouraged to participate in the Chinese upstream and downstream supply chains. Indian companies can enhance “Make in India” by “investing in China.” At the same time, the industrial structures of China and India are highly complementary. India has a competitive edge in IT, software and biomedicine, while China is seeing rapid expansion in electronic manufacturing and emerging industries. India is in a major drive to improve infrastructure, an area where China has rich experience. Companies of both countries, if connected, will produce an effect of “1+1=11”. Such cooperation will help to sustain economic growth in both countries and inject new dynamism into the global economy. The business community hopes that India will lift its restrictions on investment and government procurement against neighboring countries, so as to promote common development of industries and benefit the people of the two nations.
Third, closer cultural exchange between the two civilizations. Amity between the people holds the key to state-to-state relations. At its peak, annual two-way visits by Chinese and Indian people exceeded one million per year. The Third Plenary Session proposed to improve relevant measures to make it more convenient for people from overseas to live in mainland China, and to promote broader international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. As two large ancient civilizations with a population of over 1.4 billion, relaxing visa restrictions and restarting direct flights will have great significance. It will enhance people-to-people exchanges and bring the relationship between the two nations back to sound and steady development at an early date. In 2024, the number of Chinese outbound tourists is expected to reach one hundred and thirty million. India should not miss this opportunity. Furthermore, China and India can strengthen cooperation in the movie industry. During my visit to Mumbai last month, I passed many Bollywood filming locations such as Bandra Fort and “Queen’s Necklace”. The well-developed film industry in India left a deep impression on me. Indian films, including “Dangal” or Wrestling Competition, and “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” are very popular in China. China and India can strengthen cooperation in the movie sector and promote mutual understanding between the two peoples.
Ladies, gentlemen and friends,
The relationship between China and India is one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. It has transcended bilateral scope and bears regional and global significance. When China and India join hands in cooperation, it will benefit not only the two countries but also the entire Asia and the world at large. Last week, our two leaders provided guidance for China-India relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective at a critical time, and injected impetus into the right and bright path for big, neighboring countries to live in harmony and develop side by side. Our two countries need to keep to the trend of history and the right direction of bilateral relations, prevent specific disagreements from affecting the overall relationship, and uphold important understandings, such as China and India are each other’s development opportunity rather than threat, and cooperation partner rather than competitor. In accordance with the principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual accommodation and mutual accomplishment, we need to strengthen communication and cooperation, enhance strategic mutual trust, and facilitate each other’s pursuit of development aspirations. Our two countries need to work together to achieve our respective modernization, development and revitalization, and contribute to maintaining regional and global peace and prosperity, and advancing multipolarity in the world.
Ladies, gentlemen and friends,
History has repeatedly proved that without cooperation and common development between China and India, there will not be a strong Asia or a better future for the world. As I conclude my speech, I would like to refer to the poem Tagore wrote after his first visit to China in 1924: “Wherever I find my friend, there I am born anew.” The Chinese side has always encouraged bilateral commercial cooperation, and we hope both sides can work together, to lay down more beneficial policies and implement less restrictive measures, to lift bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and India to a new height.
Thank you for attending the event. Wish you all a Happy Deepawali and Shubho Deepavali! Thank you and Dhonnobad!
