Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is currently in Goa for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, said on Thursday that India and China should explore the path to peaceful and friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Qin, who held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Goa, also met relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian physician who served in China during the Chinese Communist Revolution led by Mao Zedong and World War II.
The minister also met youth representatives from China and India, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs here.
Qin pointed out that we should continue in the spirit of Dr. Kotnise, to firmly promote peace and friendship between China and India, “carry out people-to-people friendship, constantly increase communication and exchange between 1.4 billion Chinese and 1.4 billion Indians. “, it said.
The two countries should explore the path of peaceful and friendly coexistence and joint rejuvenation of major neighboring countries, he said, without mentioning the worsening military standoff in eastern Ladakh in May 2020 that resulted in a deep freeze in relations.
In a tweet, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said the focus remains on
resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas.
India and China bilateral relationship
“Detailed discussion with the State Council and FM Qin Gang of China about our bilateral relationship. We are focused on resolving open issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he said.
Qin said the two countries should commit to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthening mutual trust and cooperation, jointly protecting the common interests of developing countries, and international justice and fairness.
He met the relatives of Dr. Kotnise, India-China Friendship Organizations and representatives of Chinese and Indian youth in Goa. Together with his relatives, he also visited an exhibition of photographs from the life of Dr. Kotnis.
Qin said that Dr. Kotnis was a great friend of the Chinese people and an excellent fighter in the anti-fascist war. He dedicated his precious youth and life to the cause of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan, the minister added.
The spirit of internationalism between China and India
Spirit of Dr. Kotnise is the humanitarian spirit of saving the dying and healing the wounded, the heroic spirit of struggle and sacrifice, and more importantly, the spirit of internationalism that advocates peace and friendship and a common future, he said.
“Today is May 4th Youth Day in China. Young people from China and India are full of vigor and vitality. They are the main force for the development of our two countries,” Qin said, adding that “we must contribute to our people-to-people exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation so that the friendship between China and India is passed down from generation to generation.
Dr. Kotnis, who hailed from Sholapur in Maharashtra, came to China in 1938 as part of a five-member team of doctors sent by the Indian National Congress to help the Chinese people during World War II.
He later joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1942 and died the same year at the age of 32.
His medical help during the difficult days of the Chinese revolution was appreciated by Chinese leader Mao Zedong. His status and monuments were also placed in some Chinese cities in recognition of his services.
He was married to Chinese national Guo Qinglan, who died in 2012. A bronze statue of Kotnis, known in China as Ke Dihua, was unveiled at Shijiazhuang Medical College in September 2020.
In addition to the school named after him as Shijiazhuang Ke Dihua Middle Specialized Medical School, Kotnis memorials exist both in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, and in Tangxian County, where he once worked.
