NEW DELHI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Good U.S.-China relations are not only important for the two nations and the two peoples, but other countries also have a stake in the bilateral relationship, an Indian expert said on Friday.
"After all, the entire world feels a sense of relief and reassurance when the two largest economies in the world cooperate with each other, and when two major nations, both of which are permanent members of the UN (United Nations) Security Council, act with a common purpose on important global challenges," Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of the Mumbai-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, said in an interview with Xinhua.
"In contrast, the international community is naturally worried and alarmed when U.S.-China relations become acrimonious and hostile," he added.
Kulkarni noted that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent anti-China outburst "is most unfortunate and has contributed to further deterioration in the relations between U.S. and China, for which he and others in the Trump administration are mainly responsible."
"Mr. Pompeo's outburst against China is all the more unfortunate because it comes at a time when the entire world, including the U.S. itself, is engaged in a grim battle against two unprecedented crises -- the corona(virus) crisis and the resultant economic crisis," he said.
"This is the time when all countries should further strengthen cooperation," he said, adding that, as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has rightly said, "China and the United States should stop attempts at decoupling and advance the relationship through cooperation, and live up to their responsibility for the world."
Commenting on Wang's remarks that the Chinese side rejects any attempt to create a so-called "new Cold War" because it contravenes the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American peoples and the global trend toward development and progress, Kulkarni said, "the people of America, China and other countries absolutely do not want another 'Cold War.'"
Humankind has paid a huge price because of the two "hot" World Wars in the last century, which were followed by a Cold War between the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union, he said.
People around the world favor dialogue and cooperation among all nations, as well as non-military resolutions to all differences and disputes, he said.
"The greatest responsibility for this rests on the leaderships of both U.S. and China," he said.
The 21st century offers unprecedented opportunities to mankind to make a great leap forward towards progress and prosperity for all, but at the same time, the world is also beset with enormous challenges, uncertainties and complex problems, Kulkarni said.
"No single nation can solve these problems," he said. "All have to join hands, pool their strengths, and bring to the common table the wisdom of their cultures, nationalities and civilizations."
"This is the time to further broaden and deepen globalization, by making it equally beneficial to all the countries and peoples of the world," he said. "This is not the time to de-globalize and decouple, as the Trump administration is trying, most dangerously, to do." Enditem
