Riled by comparisons over the impact of foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a state-run daily in Beijing on Friday accused the western media of hyping Sino-India rivalry and diluting China's wish to be equated with the US.
Modi will be treated to the full British pomp during his current visit to the UK which can match the welcome Xi received last month "except for the definition by the British government that the Sino-UK relationship is entering a 'golden era'," the Global Times said in its editorial.
"India's relationship with the UK has a historical affinity and tends to march toward ceremonious modern relations," the editorial titled 'Modi's UK trip sparks China rivalry buzz' said.
"While the British government's overture to China is seen as a bold and distinctive foreign policy initiative, there's not the same diplomatic buzz about the Indian leader's arrival," the editorial quoted a BBC report as saying about the visits by the two leaders which have taken place within the gap of a few weeks.
"The reason is simple: The size of China's economy is five times that of India. Despite the promising future of both
China and India, Xi inked deals worth 40 billion pounds (USD 60 billion) during his stay in the UK, while Modi may only sign agreements worth no more than 12 billion pounds. Besides, Modi aspires to more British investment to India while the UK expects massive Chinese investment," the tabloid of the ruling Communist Party of China, known for striking nationalistic postures, said.
"The West is interested in the contest between China and India because of the geographical elements. The West is also intent on using India to dilute the strategic significance of China's rise. China can compare itself to India as a reference to assess its performance, but China prefers a comparison with the US, and this comparison is also favoured by the rest of the world," the daily said.
"After all, cooperation can be conducted between countries with varied strength while a contest has to be between commensurate parties. With much importance given to India, the West has changed its understanding of the world," it said.
The paper said "western opinion tries to shape the belief that Modi follows wherever Chinese leaders go and many of India's foreign policies intend to compete with China."
"It's pressing for Indian people not to be misled by Western opinion. Both China and India value their cooperation with Western powers, but having more bilateral cooperation can better serve their needs," the daily said.
"China and India need to embrace each other more closely and turn the regions at the foot of the Himalayas into one of the world's most dynamic cooperation areas," it said.
