As part of a tour of South Asian countries in the first week of May, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited India to attend the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was held in Goa. Whilst there, on May 4, Qin Gang met with the family members of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis (known in China as Ke Dihua), along with representatives of friendship organizations with China and young people from both countries.
Dr. Kotnis was one of a team of five Indian doctors, one of whom had previously served with the International Brigades in Spain, who were sent to help the Chinese people in their war of resistance against Japan by India’s Congress party, then led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, after China’s Red Army leader Zhu De had written a request to Nehru on the suggestion of Agnes Smedley, the American internationalist who maintained deep ties with the freedom movements in both countries.
In the spirit of the great Canadian communist, Dr. Norman Bethune, who the team had gone to replace following his death from sepsis incurred while operating behind enemy lines, Dr. Kotnis worked tirelessly, sometimes for 72 hours without sleep. He refused any special treatment, taught himself fluent Chinese, and passed on his knowledge by writing two textbooks on surgery (one uncompleted, he was actually struck by a fatal seizure as he was writing), and becoming a teacher and then the head of the Bethune Medical School.
It was while teaching at the school that he met, fell in love with and married Guo Qinglan, a nurse and nursing teacher. Their son, Yinhua, whose name means India-China, was born just four months before Dr. Kotnis’s death. In July 1942, Dr. Kotnis was admitted to membership of the Communist Party of China.
After Dr. Kotnis passed away on December 9, 1942, from epileptic seizures exacerbated by prolonged overwork, Mao Zedong wrote the following calligraphy in his memory:
“Dr. Kotnis, our Indian friend, came to China from afar to assist us in our war of resistance. He worked for five years in Yan’an and north China, giving medical treatment to our wounded soldiers and died of illness owing to constant overwork. The army has lost a helping hand, and the nation has lost a friend. Let’s always bear in mind his internationalist spirit.”
In meeting with Dr. Kotnis’s relatives, Qin Gang carried on a tradition of senior Chinese leaders visiting India, beginning with Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1950s through to President Xi Jinping in recent times.
Qin Gang said that Dr. Kotnis was a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war, who devoted his precious youth and life to the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. His spirit, Qin continued, is a humanitarian one of saving lives, a heroic one of daring to struggle and not being afraid of sacrifice, and an internationalist one of advocating peace, friendship, and a shared future.
One distinct feature of Qin’s meeting, consistent with the change of generations, as well as the fact that May 4 is celebrated as Youth Day in China, in honour of the anti-imperialist May 4 Movement of youth and students in 1919 that contributed significantly to the founding of the Communist Party of China two years later, was the emphasis placed on the need for young people to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr. Kotnis so as to firmly safeguard peace and friendship between China and India.
Noting that the young people of both China and India are full of vitality and are the main force for development in their respective countries, Qin Gang called on them to promote people-to-people exchanges and to explore a path for the two major neighbors to coexist in peace, get along in amity and seek rejuvenation together.
He also urged the youths to promote bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit and to boost mutual trust, so as to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries and uphold international fairness and justice.
The following articles were originally published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinhua News Agency.
Qin Gang Meets with Relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis and Representatives of Chinese and Indian Young People
On May 4, 2023 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis and representatives of China-India friendship organizations and Chinese and Indian young people in Goa, India.
Qin Gang and relatives of Dr. Kotnis visited the photo exhibition of Dr. Kotnis’ life. Qin Gang said that Dr. Kotnis, a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war, devoted his precious youth and life to the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. The spirit of Dr. Kotnis is a humanitarian one of saving lives, a heroic one of daring to struggle and not being afraid of sacrifice, and an internationalist one of advocating peace, friendship and a shared future.
Qin Gang pointed out the need to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr. Kotnis, firmly safeguard peace and friendship between China and India, inherit and promote people-to-people friendship, continuously enhance communication and exchanges between the 1.4 billion Chinese people and the same number of Indian people, and explore a path of peaceful coexistence, friendly interactions, and common revitalization between neighboring major countries. He also pointed out the need to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between China and India, enhance mutual trust, strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and uphold international fairness and justice. Noting the occasion of China’s Youth Day, which falls on May 4, Qin Gang said that Chinese and Indian young people are full of vitality and are the main force of development in both countries. He called on them to contribute to the people-to-people and cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and India, and pass on the China-India friendship from generation to generation.
Relatives of Dr. Kotnis and representatives of China-India friendship organizations and young people from both countries said that the spirit of Dr. Kotnis, embodying the common values of humanity, will always shine in human history. They stressed the need to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr. Kotnis, promote people-to-people ties between India and China, and continuously advance friendly cooperation between the two countries.
Chinese FM calls on youths to contribute to China-India cooperation, friendship
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Thursday called on youths from China and India to contribute to mutually beneficial cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
When meeting with relatives of late Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis and representatives of Chinese and Indian youths, Qin said the youths are the main force for the development of the two countries, noting Thursday is the Youth Day in China.
The young people of both countries should do their part to promote bilateral cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation, so that the China-India friendship can be passed down from generation to generation, he said.
Qin called Dr. Kotnis a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter of anti-fascist war, who devoted his youth and life to the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Dr. Kotnis was one of five Indian physicians sent to China to provide medical assistance during World War II, where he breathed his last breath.
The spirit of Dr. Kotnis, known in China as Ke Dihua, is emblematic of humanitarianism of saving lives, heroism of struggle and sacrifice, and internationalism of championing peace and friendship with a shared future, Qin added.
The Chinese foreign minister called on young people from both countries to inherit the spirit of Dr. Kotnis to safeguard peace and friendship, and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and India, which should explore a path for the two major neighbors to coexist in peace, get along in amity and seek rejuvenation together.
He also urged the youths to promote bilateral cooperation of mutual benefit and boost mutual trust, so as to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries and uphold international fairness and justice.
Qin also visited a photo exhibition on Dr. Kotnis together with relatives of the late doctor.
The families of Dr. Kotnis and representatives of India-China friendship organizations and young people from both countries said that the spirit of Dr. Kotnis represents the common values of all humankind, which will always shine throughout human history.
The spirit of Dr. Kotnis should be passed on and carried forward to strengthen people-to-people ties and push forward friendship and cooperation between the two countries, they added.
Qin is in India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting.
I am from Vancouver,Canada and i wanted to say that India like China got a large population. Although the living conditions of the people in India are well behind the living conditions of the people of China. If both countries can have good relations then that can change and both countries will benefit. That would be great for Humanity and the World.I can’t see any reason why it shouldn’t happen.