BJP leader Tarun Vijay addressing the BRICS Seminar on Governance, in Quanzhou, China, Aug. 17. (Press Trust of India)

India and China should not allow their differences to become disputes and instead turn them into opportunities, former BJP MP Tarun Vijay said, Aug. 17, writes K.J.M. Varma.

Vijay, the president of India-China Parliamentary Group of the Confederation of Indian Industries, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a BRICS seminar on governance being attended by Chinese officials, politicians and scholars from the five-member group in the Chinese city of Quanzhou.

“Let the differences be not allowed to grow into disputes, rather they can be turned into opportunities,” Vijay said, referring to a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Astana in June where the message given was that differences should not become disputes.

“When brothers live together they can solve even the most difficult of problems,” he said, quoting a Chinese proverb.

His comments came in the backdrop of the over two-month long standoff at Doklam between the troops of India and China over the People’s Liberation Army’s attempts to lay a road in the area, claimed by Bhutan.

Vijay also said that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) group should eliminate terrorism with collective efforts.

“One country’s terrorist is a terrorist to entire humanity and terrorism should be eliminated with collective efforts in the spirit of BRICS declaration at Goa which was agreed upon by all including Modi and Xi,” he said, apparently referring to China stalling the Indian move to list Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist by the UN.

As the vibrant and biggest democracy of the world, India today stands as the center of pluralism, harmony and peaceful development under the leadership of Modi, he added.