Two days after the verbal exchange involving Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and a Chinese envoy over the 1962 Sino-India war, Beijing's Ambassador Sun Yuxi said on Tuesday that the two countries were 'now partners' and 'not enemies'.
He added that it was 'out of fashion' to talk too much about the past. Sun was speaking at a press conference held to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
He was asked about Mukherjee's references to the Chinese 'invasion' of Arunchal Pradesh in 1962 and border dispute with China, which had triggered a sharp reaction from Chinese Consul General Song De Heng at a seminar in Mumbai on Sunday.
Objecting to Mukherjee calling China an 'invader' in Arunachal Pradesh, Song had said the situation, circumstances and position were such that his country could not be called so.
Emphasising that the two countries were trying their best to develop a forward-looking relationship, the Chinese ambassador said 'we will make sure that what happened in history will never happen again'.
Sun said 'misunderstandings' should not be allowed to crop up 'between friends'.
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