Sun Weidong, the outgoing Chinese ambassador to India, on Tuesday cautioned New Delhi against the West, stating that “if the western theory of geopolitics is applied to China-India relationship, then major neighbouring countries like us will inevitably view each other as threats and rivals”.

In a lengthy farewell message at the end of his New Delhi innings that lasted over three years, Sun underscored the civilisational history of both India and China as opposed to the West and contended that the geographical location of the two neighbours was not something either country could opt out of.

According to the ambassador, if the western geopolitical theory is applied to this region, competition and confrontation will be the main mode of interaction, and a zero-sum game will be the inevitable result.

“But the reality is that geographical proximity is an objective existence. It should be an opportunity for us to have more interaction and cooperation, tap our potential and learn from and complement each other. If we view it as a kind of bad fate, it will make us suspect and undercut each other, compete and confront with each other, or even become rivals,” Sun said.

“We should break out of the ‘geopolitics trap’ and find a new path that is different from the past. There is enough room in the world for China and India to develop together, and two countries and peoples should have enough wisdom to find a way to live in peace and achieve win-win cooperation between the two big neighbouring and emerging countries.”

China has time and again spoken out against US-led “cliques” like the Quad of which India is a part, and Sun’s remarks appear to be directed at such groupings that are perceived to be efforts at containing the growing Chinese footprint across the world.

Without taking names, Sun mentioned “hegemonic and bullying acts” and “disguised and coercive robbery” while making a case for India and China to contribute to peace and development in the world.

“When China and India maintain stability and development, it means that two-fifths of the world’s population has access to development opportunities. The healthy development of China-India relations will bring more stability and certainty to the world. The overarching trend of the world and history as well as the will of the peoples all call for sound China-India relations,” Sun added.

Advocating the “dragon-elephant tango”, Sun iterated the Chinese refrain since the Galwan clashes that differences should not be allowed to become disputes.

“We should seek common ground while reserving differences and properly handle the differences. China and India are important neighbours to each other. It is only natural for China and India having some differences. The key is how to handle the differences. We should be aware that the common interests of the two countries are greater than differences,” the outgoing ambassador said.