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PM’s China Visit:EVOLVING CONTOURS OF RELATIONSHIP, By Prof. Arvind Kumar, 29 Oct, 2013 Print E-mail

Round The World

New Delhi, 29 October 2013

PM’s China Visit

EVOLVING CONTOURS OF RELATIONSHIP

By Prof. Arvind Kumar

(Dept of Geopolitics & Intl Relations, Manipal Univ)

 

The current debate on India-China relations among the members of strategic and academic community, especially in the context of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China has raised a number of issues including the future prospects and the major challenges confronting the bilateral relationships. The last six decades of India-China relationships have seen more of mutual mistrust and suspicion than friendliness and cordial atmosphere. Such mistrust and suspicion grew over the years and has gone beyond proportions in the current context. The constant skirmishes across India-China border and infiltration of Chinese troops inside India’s side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) have created lot of mutual misunderstanding in Sino-Indian relations. The divergences on a number of issues between India and China thus are required to be addressed, which finally will usher into cordial relations.

 

In a modest way, both India and China have attempted to address the divergences in relation during Singh’s visit to Beijing. However, it seems that a number of issues have been left out on the major irritant such as the border question. The inking of a number of agreements including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) certainly reflects the willingness from both sides to main peace and tranquility across Sino-Indian border. The BDCA is largely a pact to defuse recurring border stand-offs. The commitment that force will not be used during the stand-off itself suggests that both New Delhi and Beijing have not been able to rule out stand off completely.

 

It must be emphasized here that the framework for peace, tranquility and stability across Sino-Indian border exists and both nations had inked a pact way back in 1996. Unfortunately, the adherence to the provisions enshrined in the pact on the part of China has been minimal. It is high time that it does not only take concrete steps but also shows its true commitment in terms of building bridges in the existing differences. There should be a consistency between rhetoric and action. Beijing has never completely adhered to any of the pacts whether these are bilateral or multilateral.

 

There is an emerging need from both sides to reach to a common understanding on a number of sensitive issues including Sino-Indian border issues. Both need to understand each other’s version of Line of Actual Control. The demarcation of understanding on the LAC is extremely essential. At the same time, one should not come to the conclusion that both India and China have always been at loggerheads.

 

It must be emphasized here that the relations between the two are expanding undoubtedly and also deepening despite several divergences on many pertinent issues impacting bilateral ties.  This was reflected when the two countries established the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2005 and also signed a Shared Vision for 21st Century in 2008. However, Beijing needs to do much beyond the existing framework in terms of showing its commitment. It wants to be unipolar in Asia in a multipolar world.

 

Hence, its ambition and strategic aspirations to a greater extent have derailed the commitment to establish Strategic and Cooperative partnership. On the one hand, China will show the desire to build such constructive strategic partnerships and on the other it will build signal intelligence centres across the region to encircle India and limit the latter’s potential and influence. It will cooperate and provide all the necessary assistance to Pakistan so that New Delhi keeps itself embroiled in addressing the challenges to India’s national security emanating from the region.  

 

Undoubtedly, India and China have emerged as the two rapidly growing economies and their bilateral relationship to a greater extent has assumed global and strategic relevance. It would be important to introspect the India-China experience in the past and then explore the mechanisms by which the bilateral cooperation can take a robust shape. There is certainly a very important element guiding India-China relations and that is the growing shared interests on a number of issues including trade and commerce. China and India have become important trade partners.

 

The trajectory of bilateral relationship has many positive as well as negative connotations. India and China perhaps are the only countries in the world, which have a legacy of ancient culture and civilizations. Both also share a similar heritage of colonization. Both are the two most populous countries in the world. Both are still underdeveloped Asian countries. Despite a number of similarities, both have many times found themselves at different poles especially on bilateral contentious issues. There have, however, always been cooperative attempts on a number of sectors other than those contentious.

 

The past 60 years of India-China relations have obviously signaled that both the countries have been seeking mutually acceptable solutions to the main contention relating to the boundary issue. It is also generally believed that both never allowed the differences to come in their way of bilateral cooperation and engagement.

 

Indeed, the major challenge confronting India-China relations has been to build mutual trust and confidence. The trust deficit created by both the sides has decimated the robustness of bilateral relationships. The element of trust is an essential component in forging a sustained bilateral cooperation. Somehow, the lack of trust and confidence between the two countries created lot of misunderstanding on a number of bilateral issues.

 

Despite the fact that India was one of the first few countries, which recognized the People’s Republic of China, the bilateral relationship saw a number of downs than ups. The history of initial years of India-China relations more particularly during 1949-1958 depicts an era of friendliness. Both were able to reach to a consensus and signed the Panchsheel Agreement, which basically dealt with Trade and Intercourse between India and Tibet region of China in Beijing. Panchsheel became the guiding principles of India-China bilateral relationship. Zhou Enlai’s trip to India in June 1954 was a symbolic messaging about China’s intent and philosophy. It was historic in the sense that a communist head of Government was making a peacetime visit to a non-communist State.

 

The animosity and hostilities grew during the decade of 1959-1976, which saw the bad patch in the relationship during the 1962 war. The best possible assumptions – Hindi-Chinni bhai bhai period got changed into Hindi-Chinni bye bye. The period during 1976-1988 has been characterized as an era of dispelling doubts and misunderstanding. The period during 1988-1998 is characterized as the period of a growing engagement. Post 1998 scenario has convinced China about India’s growing strategic aspirations and an acknowledgement that the latter has the potential and wherewithal to protect its strategic autonomy and guard its interests. The ongoing strategic modernization programme in China has also impacted India’s force structure and its strategic weaponry.

 

Importantly, there is a growing need to enhance the level and degree of strategic communication and consultations between the two nations, which would usher in peace, stability and security. Undoubtedly, the onus lies on both India and China to assume responsibilities and lead the world affairs jointly in this emerging era of uncertainty and the shift of the centre of gravity from West to East. ---INFA   

 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

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