Chinese FM Qin Gang says India-China should explore road to peaceful & friendly coexistence

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is currently in Goa attending the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting, said on Thursday that India and China should explore a road to peaceful and friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Qin, who held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa, also met relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, the Indian doctor who served in China during the Chinese Communist revolution headed by Mao Zedong and the World War II.

The minister also met with youth representatives from China and India, a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry here said.

Qin pointed out that we should carry forward the spirit of Dr. Kotnis, firmly uphold peace and friendship between China and India, "carry forward people-to-people friendship, constantly increase communication and exchanges between the 1.4 billion Chinese and 1.4 billion Indian people", it said.

The two countries should explore a road of peaceful and friendly coexistence and common rejuvenation of major neighbouring countries, he said, without referring to the festering military standoff in Eastern Ladakh in May 2020 which resulted in the deep freeze of the relations.

In a tweet, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

Qin said both countries should be committed to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, enhancing mutual trust and cooperation, jointly safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice.

He met with relatives of Dr. Kotnis, India-China friendship organizations and representatives of Chinese and Indian youths in Goa. He also visited the photo exhibition of Dr. Kotnis' life together with his relatives.

Qin said that Dr. Kotnis was a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war. He dedicated his precious youth and life to the cause of the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japan, the minister added.

The spirit of Dr. Kotnis is a humanitarian spirit of saving the dying and healing the wounded, a heroic spirit of struggle and sacrifice, and more importantly, a spirit of internationalism that advocates peace and friendship and a shared future, he said.

"Today is China's May 4th Youth Day. The young people of China and India are full of vigour and vitality. They are the main force for the development of our two countries," Qin said, adding that "we need to contribute to our people-to-people exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation so that China-India friendship will be passed on from generation to generation".

Dr. Kotnis, who hailed from Sholapur in Maharashtra, came to China in 1938 as part of a five-member team of doctors sent by the Indian National Congress to help the Chinese people during World War II.

He later joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1942 and died the same year at the age of 32.

His medical assistance during the difficult days of the Chinese revolution was praised by Chinese leader Mao Zedong. His status and memorials were also set in some Chinese cities in recognition of his services.

He was married to Chinese national Guo Qinglan, who died in 2012.

A bronze statue of Kotnis, known in China as Ke Dihua, was unveiled at the medical school at Shijiazhuang in September 2020.

Apart from the school named after him as the Shijiazhuang Ke Dihua Medical Science Secondary Specialised School, there are memorials of Kotnis in both Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, and Tangxian county where he once worked. PTI KJV ZH ZH