 "Wuhan summit brought greater comprehension of issues between leaders: Envoy")
After the Wuhan summit last month, there is greater comprehension about strategic and over-arching issues between the leadership of India and China, Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in April in an unprecedented two-day 'heart-to-heart' summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan to "solidify" the India-China relationship after the Dokalam standoff last year.
Today, especially after the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, where our two leaders had several hours of heart-to-heart discussions, specially on strategic and over-arching issues, there is a much greater comprehension of each other amongst the leadership of our countries, Bambawale said.
Troops of India and China were locked in the 73-day standoff in Dokalam after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese army in the disputed area.
Addressing a meeting to commemorate the 157th birth anniversary of India's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore at the Indian Embassy here, he said Tagore was fascinated by China and its ancient civilisation.
Tagore was one of the earliest modern thinkers of India who understood and comprehended the benefits of mutual understanding and cooperative partnership between India and China, the two great civilisations of Asia, he said.
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I believe that our job at events like this one today is to expand friendship and understanding between the people of India and China, he said.
Through our efforts to remember Tagore, we are doing our little bit for enhancing understanding and trust between our people. This will stand both our countries in good stead and will contribute in making the 21st century an Asian century, he said.
A large number of Tagore fans specially students of Peking University, which the poet visited during one of his two visits to China in 1924 and 1929, attended the meeting where some of them also sang his poetry in Chinese. A dance performance was also held.
His first visit is described, both in China as well as in India, as a major event in the literary circles of the two countries, Bambawale said.
This visit to China left a very strong impression on Rabindranath Tagore, and he made friendships here, especially with the young Chinese poet Xu Zhimo, who was his official translator during the trip, he said.
Upon his return to India, he established the world famous Cheena Bhawan at Shantiniketan with the idea that it would be a bridge for intellectual exchanges between our two countries. He appointed Professor Tan Yunshan as the first Director of Cheena Bhawan, who in turn did yeoman service for closer understanding between India and China, he said.
Professor Dong Youchen of Centre for South Asian Studies of the Beijing Foreign Studies University made an elaborate presentation about the impact made by Tagore and his poetry on China.