Xi congratulates Modi, requests for joint efforts in world affairs

BEIJING: Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his party’s election victory and asked him to enhance efforts to promote “multi-polarisation and economic globalisation” which are seen as efforts to reduce reliance on the United States. This is significant because China has been facing aggressive trade actions by the Trump administration.
Beijing expects Indian support in crucial areas like allowing Huawei to operate at a time when it has been banned in the US.
China’s recent decision to allow the naming of Pakistan-based Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council is believed to have given the ruling BJP some added advantage in the elections.
“In recent years, China-India relations have shown strong momentum of development under the joint efforts of both sides. China and India maintain good co-ordination and cooperation on major issues such as promoting multi-polarisation and economic globalisation as well as upholding multilateralism,” Xi said.
Xi, who was among the first batch of world leaders to send a congratulatory message hours before the final results were available, made it clear that he was happy to see political continuance in India. He suggested that China-India relations must now be taken to a “new fight”.
“I attach great importance to the development of China-India relations and would like to work with you to guide the development directions of the bilateral relations, enhance mutual political trust, expand pragmatic cooperation and promote the closer development of partnership between the two countries to a new height,” he said.
Modi and Xi have built up some amount of personal rapport which led to the informal Wuhan summit last year. Xi is expected to visit New Delhi later this year.