Chinese media's praise for PM Modi's remarks during Lex Fridman podcast: 'Pragmatic approach'

After Narendra Modi emphasised that New Delhi and Beijing should engage in a "healthy and natural" competition while ensuring that differences do not escalate into disputes, a report by Chinese daily Global Times described the Prime Minister’s remarks as a “pragmatic approach”.

Speaking on India-China relations during the podcast with Lex Fridman, PM Modi highlighted the deep historical ties between the two nations. Addressing the 2020 border standoff, PM Modi acknowledged the tensions but noted that his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping has led to progress. "After my meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020," he said.

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that PM Modi’s remarks underscore the Indian government's current pragmatic approach to advancing China-India relations, building on the positive momentum since the Kazan summit of the leaders.

According to Qian, since the meeting in Kazan, China-India relations made positive strides with both sides implementing the important consensus, strengthening exchanges at all levels and practical cooperation, resulting in a series of positive outcomes.