India has said that China would remain as an important priority in India’s foreign policy and would remain as the key component of India’s ‘Look East’ policy. The Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said it during the visit of Thailand. He also said that India was worried about the possibility of the current controversies over Iran’s nuclear program that may result in the rise of another argument in India’s neighborhood.

Pranab said while addressing the Bangkok-based Institute for Security and International Studies that India and China have equally contributed to the rapidly growing bilateral trade between both countries. The mutual trust and understanding were being enhanced between the leaderships of both countries.

Pranab said:

India believes that there is enough space and opportunity, in the region and beyond, for both India and China to grow together.

He said that the better India-China partnership is equally important determinant for the regional peace and development. The mutual trust between India and China will be important for Asia’s emergence as the political and economic centre in the new international order.

According to him, some degree of healthy competition between both the countries is necessary in the area of trade and commerce. India was greatly conscious of the exceptional differences with China, such as boundary issues.

He said that India wanted to seek an all-round development of ties between the two giant countries of the Asia region. India always believed in erasing the differences proactively with peaceful dialogue on an equal footing with all its neighbours.

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