Round The World

New Delhi, 13 July 2010

India-China Relation

NEED TO BUILD ON NEW TRACTION

By Monish Tourangbam,

Research Scholar, School of International Studies

The Sino-Indian relationship, normally identified with mistrust and suspicion, has of late, managed to acquire some effective area of maneouver. Yet, the list of differences and antagonism are still long. Being the fastest growing economies in the world with increasing political and economic clout on the international stage, the two neighbours with a not so rosy past would increasingly find themselves jostling for space.  

There is a race for investments and cooperative arrangements with countries around the globe and as the world shrinks and becomes more interdependent, India and China would stumble intentionally or unintentionally on more and more areas of inevitable competition. This would be the pattern.

But there is a parallel narrative that shows instances of cooperation and mutualism. Wherein in spite of all the lingering differences of opinion and antagonistic interest, there is a seeming earnestness on both sides to concentrate and amplify the points of convergences. Along with sustaining the channels of engagement notwithstanding the all-too evident areas of contention that have largely marred relations between the two traditional rivals.

The world has changed making it almost a necessity for countries to adapt and adjust their policies to suit the age of globalization, where even traditional enemies make efforts to find the slightest opening for maintaining engagement. Evident from the recently resumed Indo-Pakistan talks, stalled after the Mumbai terror attacks.

In the first half of this year, there have been three high-level visits to China. Starting with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visit, followed by President Pratibha Patil’s and recently National Security Advisor Shiv Shanker Menon trip as the Prime Minister’s envoy. Menon’s visit assumes topicality as it was immediately followed by another high level visit to Beijing by the Pakistani President Asif Zardari.

Concerns abound in New Delhi’s policy-making circles about the prospect of a future Sino-Pakistani nuclear deal being deemed as one of the most ambitious component of the steadfast China-Pakistan ties. Presently, while Islamabad seems to be enthusiastically blowing it trumpet, Beijing appears to be guarded, there has been no official confirmation about this.

Moreover, if such a Sino-Pak deal were to take place, it would have to pass the arduous process of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) as did India following the Indo-US nuclear pact. But if Beijing and Islamabad were to take the shorter route by flouting international legalities of nuclear commerce, it would highly diminish the non-proliferation credentials of China.

Clearly, Beijing should cautiously weigh all options before it decides to go ahead with Islamabad. At the same time, the deal is important for Pakistan as it is unlikely that the US would want to help it in the nuclear field owing to Islamabad’s shoddy non-proliferation record. Given China’s all-weather friendship and ties with Pakistan in the nuclear field, it is assumed that Beijing, for strategic reasons would be more willing to engage with Islamabad in an area Washington finds problematic and less appetizing.

As for New Delhi, apart from raising concerns about Islamabad’s poor nuclear stewardship in the international arena to Beijing, there is nothing much that can to be done. Since India is neither a member of the NSG nor a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is not in a position to directly influence the verdict on the developing China-Pakistan talks on nuclear ties. As such, this issue should not be made to unnecessarily impact the recent thaw achieved in the larger India-China relations.

The recent visit by National Security Advisor Menon was to diversify and broaden the areas of cooperation between the two Asian giants. Calling the Sino-Pak deal on nuclear commerce an “evolving situation,” Menon asserted, “We will wait and see where this is going.”

Further, in his talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Menon discussed opening of new areas of economic co-operation internationally. Specifically, working together in Afghanistan on infrastructure projects and in developing the country's mineral resources. India has invested heavily in the reconstruction programme of Afghanistan. China, on the other hand, is learnt to have gone ahead to tap the country’s mineral resources.

Significantly, India and China will increasingly find each other going for the same pie in the region and on the global stage. Thus, both need to build mechanisms wherein some areas of cooperation and mutual interest could be achieved for the two countries as also for the future of Afghanistan.

In addition, economic relations have acquired prominence in India-China talks. The robust economic ties between the two countries could provide a major balancing force to the many strains in Sino-Indian relations. The two countries have targeted for $60 billion in bilateral trade this year, compared to a few billion in 2000 which rose to $52 billion in 2008, when China became India's largest trade partner.

But India’s widening trade deficit vis-à-vis China needs to be remedied. During President Patil’s visit, this issue was raised and New Delhi managed to secure an assurance from Beijing that it would "seriously" address the unviable trade imbalance, stating that addressing the trade balance was part of its long-term strategy.

However, both sides have now chosen to concentrate on larger Sino-Indian relations with utmost importance being given to cooperation at international forums on issues of mutual interest. The emphasis is on smoothening bilateral ties while going ahead with talks on the more contentious issues.

As the NSA’s visit preceded that of Pakistan’s President Zardari, the PM’s special envoy chose to clear the air by stating, “We will engage with China. We do not time visits depending on who is coming and going. In today’s world, every power engages with everyone else. This is normal.”

In sum, the three high-level Indian visits to China have made New Delhi’s intention clear. The message: channels of engagement should be increased despite differences on the border dispute, the Tibetan issue, reported Chinese funding for constructions in the disputed Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), etc.

As India and China celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, recent developments and cooperation are being viewed as a reminder that the neighbours, regardless of the seeming competition, have no alternative but to cooperate with each other and take confidence-building to the next level. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)