India, China competition should never turn into conflict: PM Modi

New Delhi: Despite past tensions with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured dialogue over discord and said differences between India and China were natural but stronger cooperation was in the interests of the two neighbours and for global stability.

In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi said India and China were working to restore the conditions along the borders as they were before the clashes along the Line of Actual Control in 2020, the first since 1975 that resulted in deaths of security personnel on both sides.

"However, after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020," Modi said referring to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October last year.

"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 said.

Modi said cooperation between India and China isn't just beneficial for the two nations, but also essential for global stability and prosperity.

"Since the 21st century is Asia's century, we want India and China to compete in a healthy and natural way. Competition is not a bad thing, but it should never turn into conflict," he said.

Modi said the relationship between India and China isn't something new as both nations have ancient cultures and civilizations.

"Even in the modern world, they play a significant role. If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other," he said.

"Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point India and China alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP. That's how massive India's contribution was. And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections," Modi said.

During his over three-hour interaction, the prime minister said 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. At one time, Buddhism had a profound influence in China, and that philosophy originated in India," Modi said.

"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," he said.

Even within a family, not everything is always perfect, he said, adding "but our effort is to ensure that these differences don't turn into disputes".

"That is why we actively work towards dialogue. Instead of discord, we stress on dialogue, because only through dialogue can we build a stable cooperative relationship that serves the best interests of both nations," Modi said.