Photo: Xia Yubo

Editor's Note:

As neighbors and two emerging powers, China and India have seen cooperation as well as disputes arising between them. In the context of a changing world, how can the two countries address their problems? Where can they cooperate more? At a recent forum, co-hosted by the Global Times Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation in India, held in the Hobq Desert in Inner Mongolia and Guiyang, Guizhou Province, media practitioners from China and India shared their views on anti-terrorism, border issues, IT development and the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times

China has no particular requirement for India when dealing with bilateral ties. It only hopes the two countries can maintain a politically friendly tie and keep the momentum for cooperation. My Indian friends have said to me many times that China should help India curb terrorists in Pakistan. I don't quite understand why India has such a strong, specific requirement. It makes it seem like China is mostly responsible for the failure to wipe out terrorists in Pakistan. This is a misperception from the Indian side.

If China adopts the same mentality as India, it can make a lot of complaints to India. For example, India's acceptance of the Dalai Lama has placed a major strain on Sino-Indian relations. But Chinese barely take the lead to talk about it. Therefore, India needs to redirect its public opinion.

Samir Saran, vice president of India's Observer Research Foundation

The "Belt and Road" initiative, with its extensive reach across a number of regions, is a goal of Asian development set by an Asian country for the first time. I think the China-proposed initiative aims to establish a kind of mechanism that can bring together many economies.

The initiative features five major ambitions. It emphasizes the connectivity of road, information, economy and trade, and policy. One thing that confuses me is the exact meaning of connectivity. Should everyone follow the same political system, the same currency and trade arrangement or the same economic order? It could easily cause misunderstandings.

Ma Weigong, former vice editor-in-chief of China Radio International

The "Belt and Road" initiative presents a good vision. Although it designs a framework that covers many countries and regions, there is no exact criterion for participating in the initiative. In this regard China and India have conducted extensive cooperation in fields including business, trade, software development and so on.

It's a gradual process under the "Belt and Road" initiative and it shouldn't be taken as a rigid plan. Countries and regions differ in their development models and cultures, such as India and China which vary enormously in the national situation and system. Hence China keeps emphasizing that concerted efforts and consensus are needed to intensify cooperation and push forward the initiative, and in this process different approaches and modes of cooperation will come up. To this end, countries and regions concerned have to enhance their communication and exchanges, particularly people-to-people ones.

Sun Yuxi, China's former ambassador to India

Having participated in three rounds of China-India border negotiations, I think when reporting the border issues, Chinese and Indian media should refrain from highlighting or hyping up divergences, but instead put more emphasis on how the problems can be addressed. Both Chinese and Indian governments and peoples insist that the border disputes be solved through negotiations rather than wars. This conception needs more publicity,

Until a final solution is found to border issues, the two countries have to maintain peace and stability in the border areas, Media on both sides need to urge the two governments to facilitate communication and trust between border forces of both sides and reduce misunderstandings. Besides, divergences over border issues won't cripple the overall friendly relationship and cooperation between China and India. With these emphases by media, negative impacts by border disputes bilateral relationship can be reduced and the China-India relationship will be develop healthily.

Geeta Mohan, editor of foreign affairs of leading English news network NewsX

The Chinese side often thinks the Indian media is controlled by the government, which is however not the case. Indian media outlets are owned by big corporations and they are in fact very independent from the government's meddling.

The media plays an important role when border disputes break out. But usually reporters have to cover border issues with limited information about the negotiations among special envoys of both sides. This does no good to both governments. Meanwhile, in this era what is happening along the borders is unlikely to be kept from the public. Inexact reports will produce negative consequences and inadequate or excessive reporting will form wrong impression for both Chinese and Indian public on the border issues.

Ding Gang, senior consultant of the Global Times

In recent years, the "China threat" theory hyped by the Indian media has exerted a particular impact on the reporting of border issues by Chinese and India media. In fact, the theory has complicated the border issue, and portrayed China's protection of sovereign rights as attempts to expand and plunder others' lands, as countries did in WWII.

Besides, China and India have complex ethnic issues in border areas. In this sense, if border disputes can be well addressed or at least shelved for now, it will make a huge contribution to global peace.

Mihir Sharma, opinion editor of Business Standard

Like in China, the Indian government usually participates in and gives guidelines to domestic industries. But in the Indian city of Bangalore, you cannot feel the presence of the government there. The government has done its work in a low-profile way.

What can Bangalore learn from Guiyang, southwestern China's Guizhou Province? I can see that the government has made many tries in urban governance. Guiyang wants to build subways first, though its infrastructure is not that developed. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a project to set up smart cities across the nation. Guiyang is also heading this way, though it may not be the first one in China to do it. Its experiences in urban management can help Bangalore and other cities to become an innovation center.

The media should turn their eyes from big companies and switch to what medium- and small-enterprises (SMEs) are doing and how they implicate the overall society and government decisions. The SME innovation needs to be rightly and sufficiently presented to readers by the media because big companies can no longer steer the future of our economy.

Liu Chuncheng, vice mayor of Guiyang

Beipiao, literally "Beijing vagabond," is a popular term in China. It refers to a massive group of young people who migrate to Beijing from other parts of China to seek opportunities, yet without the guarantee of a decent life. But Guiyang can do differently. Many young elites working in foreign companies here can enjoy public services the same as or even better than local residents.

In the next one or two years, there will be more and more vigorous and appealing young people here in Guiyang due to the appeal of the newly developed industry of big data, which can inject vitality to this region.

The development of big data turns Guiyang's disadvantages into advantages. The high-speed railway in Guiyang has become a hub in China's southwestern region and the expressway has linked to each county. Guiyang, which used to be underdeveloped, now has enormous opportunities to boost its development. Our future is determined by our mobility, which means whether we can attract more talent, funds and technology.

Anchal Vohra, foreign affairs editor and senior anchor at CNN-IBN network

China and India have shared concerns and interests in Afghanistan. China is one member of the Quadrilateral Coordination Groups that also comprises Pakistan, the US and Afghanistan, in hopes of promoting peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. India feels this is a good way because it makes Afghanistan more secure. The Afghan government must seize the initiative and should not let Pakistan act as its agent.

China and India can share intelligence about Afghanistan, but we haven't done so so far. China has put all its stake on Pakistan and hopes Pakistan can keep terrorists within the country under control instead of seeking help from the Afghan government.

New Delhi understands Beijing's sensitivity. Therefore, the two should share more intelligence and experiences such as how India deals with its Kashmir issue and how China copes with problems in Xinjiang.