New Delhi | Despite past tensions with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured dialogue over discord and said differences between India and China were natural but stronger cooperation was in the interests of the two neighbours and for global stability.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi said India and China were working to restore the conditions along the borders as they were before the clashes along the Line of Actual Control in 2020, the first since 1975 that resulted in deaths of security personnel on both sides.
"However, after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020," Modi said referring to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October last year.
"Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy should return. But of course, it will take some time, as there has been a five-year gap," the prime minister said.
Modi said cooperation between India and China isn't just beneficial for the two nations, but also essential for global stability and prosperity.
"Since the 21st century is Asia's century, 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.
Modi said the relationship between India and China isn't something new as both nations have ancient cultures and civilizations.
"Even in the modern world, they play a significant role. If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other," he said.
"Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point India and China alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP. That's how massive India's contribution was. And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections," Modi said.
During his over three-hour interaction, the prime minister said there was no real history of conflict between India and China if one looked back over centuries.
"It has always been about learning from each other and understanding one another. At one time, Buddhism had a profound influence in China, and that philosophy originated in India," Modi said.
"In the future too our relationship should remain just as strong and continue to grow. Differences are natural. When two neighbouring countries exist, occasional disagreements are bound to happen," he said.
Even within a family, not everything is always perfect, he said, adding "but our effort is to ensure that these differences don't turn into disputes".
"That is why we actively work towards dialogue. Instead of discord, we stress on dialogue, because only through dialogue can we build a stable cooperative relationship that serves the best interests of both nations," Modi said.
New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will only be resolved when both sides join the negotiation table, asserting that there can never be a resolution on the battlefield.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman released on Sunday, Modi clarified that India is not neutral but firmly committed to peace.
Highlighting his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Modi said that he can urge Russia that war is not the solution while reminding Ukraine that battlefields do not bring real solutions.
"I have a close relationship with Russia and Ukraine alike. I can sit with President Putin and say that this is not the time for war. And I can also tell President Zelensky, in a friendly way, that brother, regardless of how many people stand with you in the world, there will never be a resolution on the battlefield," Modi said.
He was responding to a question about helping make peace between the two warring nations - Russia and Ukraine.
"The resolution will only come when both Ukraine and Russia come to the negotiating table. Ukraine may hold countless discussions with their allies, but it will bear no fruit. Discussions must include both parties," he said.
The prime minister said that initially, it was challenging to find peace, but now, the current situation presents an opportunity for meaningful and productive talks between Ukraine and Russia.
"There has been a lot of suffering. Even the Global South has suffered. The world has been grappling with a food, fuel and fertiliser crisis. So, the global community should unite in the pursuit of peace. As for me, I have always maintained that I stand with peace. I am not neutral. I have a stance, and that is peace, and peace is what I strive for," Modi said.
The prime minister affirmed that India, the land of Lord Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, advocates for peace over conflict.
"Culturally and historically, our background is so strong that whenever we speak of peace, the world listens to us, because India is the land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, and Indians aren't hardwired to espouse strife and conflict," he said.
"We espouse harmony... we seek neither to wage war against nature nor to foster strife among nations. We stand for peace and wherever we can act as peacemakers, we have gladly embraced that responsibility," he said.
Modi also said that after COVID-19, it seemed like the world would come together, but instead, it became more fragmented, with multiple conflicts emerging globally.
He added that international institutions have become irrelevant, and organisations like the UN are failing to fulfil their purpose due to not undergoing necessary reforms.
"The world must move away from conflict and embrace coordination," he said and reiterated that progress will come through development and not expansionism.
India has all along been pressing for the resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
In his summit talks with Putin on July 9 last year in Moscow, Modi told the Russian leader that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets.
Weeks later he travelled to Ukraine, where he told Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and India was ready to play an "active role" to restore peace in the region.
