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The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted outgoing Chinese Ambassador H.E. Le Yucheng for a farewell cum interaction on India-China relations on 05 April 2016. A few of India’s leading strategists associated with the VIF, including senior diplomats and China experts culled from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, engaged the Ambassador across the entire spectrum of bilateral relations between India and China, inter alia, economic cooperation, ant-terrorism cooperation, regional cooperation, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the most important of all, the prickly boundary issue which has been evading a final settlement till date. In his opening remarks, General NC Vij recalled the 19 months tenure of Ambassador Le Yucheng in India as a period of immense diplomatic activities, a period during which both India’s Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping visited each others country taking the bilateral relationship to a new height. He complimented the Ambassador’s statesmanship for preparing the ground for these historical visits. In a reciprocal gesture, H.E. Le Yucheng described the current phase of India-China relations as the best phase in the last 50 years.

Diplomatic pleasantries aside, the discussions veered round to some hard talking, especially by the Indians peeved over China putting a technical hold on India’s initiative in the United Nations seeking sanction against Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar for his role in the Pathankot terrorist attack in India. China’s economic corridor passing through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, an area internationally recognized as a disputed territory, also came up for discussions during the interactive session. The Indian interlocutors remained less than convinced with the Ambassador’s response (1) there is little evidence on ground to nail Masood Azhar, and (2) Pakistan ceded away a part of the POK way back in 1963 and hence, China’s involvement in the POK is not a new phenomenon. In addition, other irritants in the bilateral relationship, especially the thorny boundary issue, regional water sharing, India sheltering the Dalai Lama, among others, were also discussed with an open mind. The Indian side brought to bear upon the Chinese Ambassador of the inherent danger in selectively dealing with terrorism. The growing cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic spheres, and the opening of Nathu la passes for Indian pilgrims visiting Mansarovar were well appreciated on both sides. The interaction highlighted, among other things, the underpinnings of bilateral cooperation, especially the fact that both China and India together account for 35 percent of the world’s population. In his concluding remarks, the Director wished success to H.E. Le Yucheng on his new appointment and hoped for a better future of India-China relationship.