New Delhi: India and China have, historically, learned from each other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in response to a question about bilateral ties between the two countries on the Lex Fridman Podcast.
He spoke about India-China relations, briefly touching on border tensions and highlighted that the two countries together once accounted for over half of the world’s GDP, and that Buddhism, which influenced China deeply, originated in India, fostering cultural exchanges. “If we look back centuries, there’s no real history of conflict between us. It has always been about learning from and understanding one another,” he said.
Modi added, “Our relationship should remain just as strong in the future. It should continue to grow. Of course, differences are natural. When two neighboring countries exist, occasional disagreements are bound to happen. Even within a family, not everything is always perfect. But our focus is to ensure that these differences don’t turn into disputes.”
On the border standoff in Eastern Ladakh, Modi acknowledged the 2020 Galwan clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) but also mentioned the deescalation following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia, last October.
“It is true that there have been ongoing border disputes between us. And in 2020, the incidents along the border created significant tensions between our countries,” he said.
Adding, “We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return. But of course, it will take some time, since there’s been a five-year gap.”
Modi also spoke about India and China competing in supplying goods and services to the world, adding that cooperation between both “isn’t just beneficial, it’s also essential for global stability and prosperity”.
“We want India and China to compete in a healthy and natural way. Competition is not a bad thing, but it should never turn into conflict,” he said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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