Political divergences between India and China cannot be separated from economic cooperation, an article in a state-run daily here said today, ahead of President Xi Jinping's maiden visit to the country.
"Some Indian scholars hold that political divergences could be separated from economic cooperation when it comes to India-China relationship. This is infeasible," said an article in the web edition of Global Times by a scholar from the influential Shanghai Institute of International Studies.
"Besides economic cooperation, Xi and (Prime Minister) Modi will talk frankly about a wide range of issues such as the border dispute, the Dalai Lama issue and the trade imbalance," said the article in the ruling Communist Party-run newspaper, known for its usually nationalistic views.
Admittedly, there are many unsolved questions left over by history between China and India, among which the border dispute is the biggest obstacle to the bilateral relationship.
"Sound political relations are the guarantee of economic cooperation. Border disputes are the root cause of mutual distrust between China and India. But both are doing their best to find a solution," it said.
Xi's visit to India, starting September 17, is taking place amid assertions by Chinese officials that China is willing to discuss the future of the Dalai Lama, who fled from Tibet to India in 1959 with his personal envoy, but not the future of Tibet.
His presence in Dharmasala along with over 1.5 lakh Tibetan refugees has been a source of disquiet for Beijing in its strategic discourse with India.
Chinese officials maintain that India has ensured non-interference in Tibet reducing frictions between the two countries.
Today's article spoke of India's concerns over intensification of China's economic activity in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Xi will arrive in India after his visits to the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
The article said India is critical to the emergence of the new strategic concept of the "Indo-Asia-Pacific" from the military and economic perspective.
"Whether China and India can realise sound cooperation is the key to the establishment of the 'Indo-Asia-Pacific' community. Both countries should create favourable conditions to maintain the positive momentum of top-level communication. At the same time, they should strengthen media and grass-roots interaction to increase mutual understanding," the article said.
