Competition between India and China should never turn into a conflict and cooperation between the two nations is in the interest of global stability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

During a conversation with American podcaster Lex Fridman that was broadcast on Sunday, Modi said New Delhi and Beijing are working to restore the border conditions as they were before June 2020 when a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control.

The clashes led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. Beijing said that four of its soldiers were killed.

Following this, both countries deployed thousands of troops and heavy artillery in the region.

Since the Galwan clashes, China and India have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve their border standoff.

“After my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border,” Modi told Fridman, referring to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October.

During a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan city, Modi had told Xi that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border should remain the priority of the two nations.

The leaders’ meeting took place two days after the two countries announced that they had reached a patrolling arrangement along the Line of Actual Control, “leading to the disengagement” of the two militaries in eastern Ladakh.

Speaking about bilateral ties between India and China, Modi said during the podcast: “Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm and energy should return. But of course, it will take some time, as there has been a five-year gap.”

The prime minister also claimed that at one point, India and China “alone accounted for more than 50% of the world’s gross domestic product”.

“That’s how massive India’s contribution was,” said Modi. “And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections.”

He further claimed that there was “no real history” of conflict between India and China “if one looked back over centuries”.

“It has always been about learning from each other and understanding one another,” said Modi. “At one time, Buddhism had a profound influence in China, and that philosophy originated in India.”

The prime minister added: “In the future too, our relationship should remain just as strong and continue to grow. Differences are natural. When two neighbouring countries exist, occasional disagreements are bound to happen.”

The Chinese government said that it has made note of Modi’s “positive” statements on the relations between Beijing and New Delhi and “appreciated” it, PTI reported.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning also said that the “successful meeting” between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping” in Russia’s Kazan in October provided strategic guidance for the improvement and development of bilateral ties.

Kazan was the first formal meeting of the two leaders since the military standoff in mid-2020 along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

Mao made the statements during a media briefing in Beijing while responding to a question on Modi’s conversation with Fridman, according to PTI.

Both sides have earnestly followed through on the important common understandings, strengthened exchanges and achieved positive outcomes, she said.

‘Hostility and betrayal from Pakistan’

Speaking about the relationship between India and Pakistan, Modi said that every attempt to foster peace with Islamabad had been met with “hostility and betrayal”.

Calling Pakistan the “epicentre of turmoil” for the entire world, the prime minister said that he hopes that “wisdom prevails upon” Islamabad and it chooses the path of peace. “What kind of ideology thrives on bloodshed and export of terror?” asked Modi.

Recalling that he had invited Nawaz Sharif, his Pakistani counterpart at the time, for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014, Modi said: “It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades. The very people who once questioned my approach to foreign policy were taken aback when they learned I had invited all SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] heads of state and our then President Pranab Mukherjee beautifully captured that historic gesture in his memoir.”

Modi said that his invitation “was a testament to how clear and confident” India’s foreign policy had become. “This sent a clear message to the world about India’s commitment to peace and harmony, but we didn’t get the desired outcome,” Modi added.

2002 Gujarat riots not ‘biggest ever’, says Modi

During the podcast, Modi also stated that claims of the 2002 Gujarat riots being “the biggest ever” are “misinformation”.

“Before 2002, Gujarat faced over 250 riots, with communal violence erupting over trivial issues like kite flying or bicycle collisions,” said the prime minister.

Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat when communal riots erupted in February and March 2002.

More than 1,000 persons, most of them Muslims, were killed in the riots that broke out after a coach of Sabarmati Express carrying Hindu pilgrims from Ayodhya was burnt in Godhra. Fifty-nine persons died in the incident on February 27, 2002.

Modi told Fridman that the situation in Gujarat was tense before the riots as well due to global and domestic terror incidents, including the Kandahar hijacking in 1999, the 9/11 attacks in the United States and the December 2001 attack on Indian Parliament.

“You can imagine how tense and volatile the situation was,” he said. Modi added that while the 2002 riots were “undeniably tragic”, they were “not an isolated occurrence but part of a larger history of communal strife in the state”.

He also said that the Indian courts had “found us completely innocent” against allegations of his government’s involvement in the riots. “Those truly responsible have faced justice.”