'It is for the media of both sides to foster and nourish good ties than focusing only on negative reports especially on the border incursions and water', said an Chinese foreign ministry official.
Persisting "negative reporting" by Indian and Chinese media focusing on contentious issues like boundary disputes and water issues could evoke adverse feelings among 2.5 billion people of the two countries, a top Chinese foreign ministry official said today.
In a candid talk with Indian media team accompanying president Pratibha Patil, Ma Jishieng, deputy director general of the Chinese foreign ministry said Sino-Indian relations have entered a new era of cooperation and at present they are going through "best times".
Ma who hosted a lunch for the Indian delegation said China has over 1.3 billion population followed by India with 1.2 billion.
"Think the passions negative reporting could evoke in 2.5 billion population in both the countries," he said.
While the Chinese government will not allow negative reporting about India in Chinese media, people of India too would not tolerate sustained negative reporting about China, he said.
It was for the media of both the sides to foster and nourish the good ties than focusing only on the negative reports especially on the border incursions and water, he said.
Ma was apparently referring to reports in the media about proposals submitted to Chinese government to build a big dam over Brahmaputra river in Tibet, which was refuted by a Chinese scholar.
A spate of reports both in Chinese and Indian media last year about incursions by Chinese troops coupled with Chinese protests over visits of Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh and stapled visas being issued by China for people from Jammu and Kashmir brought about an air of tension in bilateral ties.
In the recent months however the two countries appeared to set all that behind and made special efforts to improve the ties taking advantage of the 60th year of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
The visit of external affairs minister, SM Krishna last month provided a new momentum to the efforts of normalisation followed by the on going visit of Patil, during which Indian official say Chinese top leaders made concerted efforts to make her visit very successful.
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