India set for new role in SCO, ambassador says

Q4. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an informal meeting in Wuhan in April. How do you appraise this meeting?

A: President Xi and Prime Minister Modi had excellent discussions at their informal summit in Wuhan on 27-28 April 2018. They discussed strategic and over-arching issues pertaining to the international situation as well as regional and bilateral developments. Through this strategic communication, they have been able to reach consensus on many issues including the important role played by India and China on the global stage and the manner in which bilateral relations can be developed in the coming months and years.

I would also like to point out that Prime Minister Modi and President Vladimir Putin had a similar informal summit at Sochi on 21 May, where they discussed how India and Russia view global developments and the position they take on these issues. As all three countries are members of the SCO, we believe that the organization can play an important role in global affairs.

Q5. Bilateral trade volume arrived at US$84.4 billion last year and China remains the largest trade partner of India. Are there any potential fields you think China and India can work together to expand win-win economic cooperation?

A: You are right that India-China bilateral trade reached a new peak of US$ 84.4 billion in calendar year 2017. The potential for increasing trade volume between our two countries is huge and we have not yet reached the full potential of our commercial ties.

In 2017, Xiaomi, a well-known Chinese firm, became the largest supplier of mobile handsets in the Indian market. Other Chinese companies such as Huawei, VIVO and OPPO are also doing extremely well. There is also great potential for expanding the exports of Indian IT and pharmaceuticals to China. There are some non-tariff barriers in China which need to be removed for this to happen. We need to move towards more balanced trade between our two countries since only then will our commercial interaction be sustainable.