“For India, the relationship with China is important and significant. It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us,” PM Modi said in an interview with US’s Newsweek magazine.
Prime Minister Modi said that “stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just the two countries but the entire region and world.”
“I hope and believe that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity in our borders,” he added.
Further speaking on competing with China, PM Modi said, “India is now globally considered most suited for manufacturing world-class goods at a competitive cost.”
“India, as a democratic polity and global economic growth engine, is a natural choice for those looking to diversify their supply chains. We have undertaken transformative economic reforms: Goods and Service Tax, corporate tax reduction, bankruptcy code, reforms in labor laws, relaxation in FDI norms. As a result, we have made significant improvement in ease of doing business. We are striving to make our regulatory framework, our taxation practices as well as our infrastructure at par with global standards,” he said.
Responding to a query on China and the Quad, the Prime Minister said the US, Australia, Japan, India, China, all these countries are members of many groups.
“We are present in different combinations in different groups. Quad is not aimed against any country. Like many other international groupings, like SCO, BRICS and others, Quad is also a group of like-minded countries working on a shared positive agenda,” he said.