莫迪将加强对华经济合作 边境谈判难有突破

Narendra Modi visits the Mahatma Gandhi memorial in New Delhi before being sworn in as Indian prime minister on Monday. China said it hoped to work with Modi to promote ties with India. [Photo/Agencies]

When Narendra Modi wooed investors in China as an Indian provincial leader in 2011, he highlighted his eagerness by making a special gesture.

He presented a business card with one side in Chinese and in red — the color that symbolizes wealth and good fortune in China.

With Modi taking the oath of office as India's new prime minister on Monday, such attention to China is expected to be repeated.

Modi, 63, led his Bharatiya Janata Party to an electoral landslide this month on a wave of optimism over his ability to revitalize Asia's third-biggest economy. Closer economic ties with India's top trading partner, China, will be high on his agenda, analysts said.

Hu Shisheng, a South Asian studies researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said economic ties would enter a new phase due to Modi's admiration for China's economic development and his achievements in developing Gujarat into one of India's most prosperous states through close cooperation with countries including China.

Much of China's $900 million investment in India is in Gujarat, where Modi served as a three-time chief minister and the state was dubbed "India's Guangdong".

Analysts said Modi's ties with China and his focus on restoring the fortunes of the world's second-most populous nation would temper his hardline nationalist approach.

During his election campaign, he made some hardline remarks on the India-China border issue and on neighboring Pakistan.

Hu said manufacturing and infrastructure were the priorities for Sino-Indian cooperation, as they could help the new administration to increase employment and improve living standards. "When you focus your mind on boosting the economy, you won't allow the border issue to hinder it," Hu said.

Modi has softened his stance somewhat since his stunning victory and surprised many by inviting Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his inauguration.

It was the first time since the two countries won independence in 1947 that a prime minister from one nation had attended such a ceremony in the other.

Saibal Dasgupta, veteran correspondent for The Times of India in Beijing, said India wanted a good relationship with China.

On Monday, Premier Li Keqiang sent congratulations to Modi and expressed willingness to improve ties with India.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a daily news conference that China was looking forward to working with the Modi administration to boost cooperation and regional peace and stability.

Describing Modi as "pragmatic", Sun, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the new Indian leader was seeking a friendly international environment, which included better ties with the US and Japan.

"A breakthrough on border issues is unlikely to emerge during the Modi administration, but he is expected to continue talking with China to see where the interaction will lead," Sun said.

据《中国日报》报道，莫迪于26日宣誓就职，成为印度新一任总理，专家认为，他会一如既往关注中国，加强与中国的经济合作，但边境谈判难有突破。

2011年，身为古吉拉特邦首席部长的莫迪来到中国进行招商引资，那时他就表现出了想要促进两国关系的强烈愿望。

他的名片有一面印有中文，而且是红色的。而在中国，红色意味着财富和好运。

63岁的莫迪领导印度人民党在大选中大获全胜，因为人们相信他能够振兴亚洲第三大经济体——印度。分析家认为，加强与印度第一大贸易伙伴——中国在经济方面的合作是他的首要任务之一。

中国现代国际关系研究院南亚研究所研究院胡仕胜认为，中印之间的经济往来将进入一个新阶段，因为莫迪对中国的经济发展十分欣赏。他也通过与中国等国家进行紧密合作，成功使古吉拉特邦成为了印度最富庶的地方之一。

中国在印度的投资中有9亿美元都投在了古吉拉特邦，他曾三次担任这里的首席部长，这个地方也被称为“印度的广东”。

分析家称，莫迪与中国的关系，以及他对专注于重振印度经济的关注，都考验着他的强硬民族主义路线。

在竞选过程中，他就中印边境问题和印度与巴基斯坦的边境问题发表了一些强硬的评论。

胡仕胜称制造业和基础设施建设是中印合作的首要任务，这可以帮助新一届印度政府增加就业，提高人们的生活水平。“如果印度政府专注于发展经济的话，他们是不会让边境问题阻挠经济的发展的。”胡仕胜说。

自在大选中大获全胜以来，莫迪的立场已有所缓和，他甚至还出人意料地邀请巴基斯坦总理纳瓦兹·谢里夫来参加他的就职典礼。对于巴印两国而言，一国总理参加另一国总理的就职典礼，这还是1947年两国独立以来的破天荒的第一次。

印度《泰晤士报》驻北京的资深记者沙巴尔·达斯古普塔称，印度欲与中国形成良好关系。

中国也伸出友谊之手。26日，李克强总理致电祝贺莫迪当选总理，称中方愿意促进两国关系发展。外交部发言人秦刚在例行记者会上发言称，中国愿与莫迪政府一同努力，加强合作，促进地区和平与稳定。

中国社会科学院一位专家认为，莫迪秉承“实用主义”观念，他正努力寻求一个友好的国际环境，要造就这样的环境就需要改善与美国和日本的关系。这位专家还称“在莫迪执政期间，边境问题应该不会有重大突破，但印方会继续与中方讨论这个问题。”