Sitharaman's 'namaste' a goodwill signal to mend ties after Doklam: Chinese media

New Delhi: India's Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's 'namaste' to the Chinese soldiers across the border in Sikkim is a 'goodwill signal' and shows both sides want to mend ties after the Doklam crisis, China's state-run media said on Monday.

China-India relations have entered a "new era of crisis management" and both sides should actively seek to “fix stagnated ties”, the Global Times reported citing Beijing-based scholars.

“The greeting sent a goodwill signal towards mending bilateral ties and putting relations back on track toward normality,” Qian Feng of the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies said.

The Doklam standoff shows the growing mistrust between the two countries and it has exerted a massive negative impact, said Qian.

She also said that India should show more “determination” to improve ties as Prime Minister Narendra Modi “enjoys advantages towards achieving that goal”.

Another Chinese expert said, “Ties between China and India have been struggling in the last three years and China's image in India has even been demonized in some cases.”

"Though leaders of the two countries are exploring more cooperation, the focus and priority of the two countries are to avoid friction and conflict," Hu Shisheng of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies said.

Defence Minister Sitharaman on Sunday waved at the Chinese soldiers during her visit to Sikkim's Nathu La where she was accorded a guard of honour by the Indian security personnel on her arrival.

She later shared a photo on her Twitter account of her waving at the Chinese troops, who were taking pictures of her from across the border. She also tweeted “acknowledged a row of Chinese soldiers from across the fence”.