Bangalore, January 03: The territorial dispute between China and India was an “issue left over by history” and there was strong consensus between New Delhi and Beijing that it should not be an obstacle in improving bilateral relations, a senior Chinese diplomat said today.
Asked if demarcating the Line of Actual Control was one of the solutions to deal with the dispute, Consulate General of China Wang Dong Hua told reporters, “territorial dispute should not prevent us from working together in terms of strengthening economic relations.”
He disagreed with the assessment that political tensions marked Indo-China relations in 2009, saying the ties had instead improved steadily.
Wang said economic strengths of the two countries were complementary, noting, as an example, that while India’s prowess lay in IT and bio-pharmaceuticals, China was strong in manufacturing. “We see India as a strategic partner, not as a rival”.
–Agencies