China looks forward to a "harmonious dance between the Chinese dragon and Indian elephant with synchronized steps", a Chinese defense spokesperson said on Thursday.
Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks after a recent meeting between Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Vientiane, Laos.
During the meeting Singh said that friendly relations between China and India, the world’s two most populous countries, will have a positive impact on global peace and prosperity, and the two countries should focus on cooperation rather than conflict.
"On the afternoon of November 20, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun held talks with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Vientiane, Laos. This meeting was positive and constructive. The two sides agreed that they should earnestly implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries and promote the steady development of their military-to-military relationship. They also agreed to strictly abide by the recent common understanding reached by the two sides, and to make efforts to de-escalate tensions in border areas. Another agreement was to focus on enhancing mutual trust, and to conduct more exchanges and interactions between the two militaries. We hope the two sides can seize the opportunities and move along with the trend to make new progress in the relations between the two militaries. We also look forward to a harmonious dance between the Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant with synchronized steps," he said.
China looks forward to harmonious dance between “Chinese dragon, Indian elephant”: spokesman
The 2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China officially closed on Wednesday in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, with fruitful results achieved in promoting travel between the two countries. An international tourism forum was held within the framework of the closing ceremony. About 300 people, including Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerkinbayev Yerzhan Malikovich, Chinese Consul General in Almaty Jiang Wei, and representatives from tourism and media of both countries, attended the event.
Yerkinbayev said that Kazakhstan plans to expand passenger capacity at land ports connecting the countries and increase investment in tourism infrastructure construction to attract more Chinese tourists.
"We are seeing more and more Chinese tourists coming to Kazakhstan, so we should improve tourism infrastructure and not let these visitors down. Today at the forum we announced that we will open new border crossings and improve the facilities at existing ones. Some improvement work has already started this year, making these crossings convenient not only for the clearance of goods but also for people," he said.
"The leaders of the two countries have announced that 2025 will be the Chinese Tourism Year in Kazakhstan. We are looking forward to the series of activities planned by our Chinese colleagues, and will fully support every event to be held in Kazakhstan next year," he added.
Jiang, the Chinese Consul General in Almaty, said that all-round and high-level China-Kazakhstan tourism cooperation has been launched, which will inject new impetus into promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples and building a more meaningful and dynamic China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future.
"Since the launch of the Kazakhstan Tourism Year event, departments at all levels of the two countries, especially the tourism departments, have held promotion meetings, forums, and tourism exhibitions in both countries, providing tourists with a variety of colorful activities. Such events have opened up windows for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries and enhancing mutual learning between civilizations," Jiang said.
At the closing ceremony, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan presented the "Most Influential International Media Cooperation Award" to CCTV-4 Channel of China Media Group (CMG), commending the three-part documentary "Bond with China—For the Common Dream" produced in cooperation with the Khabar Media Group of Kazakhstan.
The program was launched in July this year at a China-Kazakhstan cultural exchange event organized by CMG, and was aired simultaneously on China's CCTV-4, the TV channels under the Khabar Media Group, and Atameken TV.
Daniyel Serzhanuly, deputy chairman of the board for the Kazakh Tourism National Company, said that the documentary showcases the culture and beautiful scenery of Kazakhstan to Chinese audiences. He expressed hope for deepened cooperation in media between the two countries.
"Among the more than 30 cooperation projects implemented under the tourism year program, there are media cooperation projects. The most successful one is the three-part documentary about Kazakhstan produced in cooperation with CCTV-4. The program was launched before the SCO Summit, which showed the tourism potential of Kazakhstan to Chinese audiences and improved Chinese people's understanding of Kazakhstan," he said.
Two sub-forums and a B2B tourism business negotiation meeting were also held within the framework of the closing ceremony.
2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China closes with fruitful results
