Hopefully, China would heed India-China relationship in the longterm strategic perspective and give up its territorial obduracy

As prelude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in an interview to an Indian monthly said that a growing China-India relationship is related to the welfare of the 2.5 billion Chinese and Indians and crucial to the peace and prosperity of Asia and the world at large. He expressed hope that Prime Minister Modi’s visit will deepen strategic and cooperative partnership and serve inclusive development of both our countries. He expressed hope in achieving dynamic balance and sustainable growth in bilateral trade between the two countries. He mentioned that China’s overseas investment in the next five years will reach $500 billion and ‘Make in India’ initiative and other programmes rolled out by the India promises deeper practical cooperation, China already having decided to set up two industrial parks in India. As for China’s proposed ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative, he mentioned the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM) initiative, while saying China is open to India’s views and suggestions regarding the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the Chinese CEOs in Shanghai

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the launch of the Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai

Photo Credit: PIB

He talked of positive progress made in boundary negotiations over the past 30 years and more, which actually is quite the contrary with China having put an illegal claim to Arunachal Pradesh as late as 2005. He also talked of cooperation in counter-terrorism and for building peace and prosperity in the region, all in usual Chinese diplomatic aplomb.

The fake promises of camaraderie were belied by China’s Global Post denouncing Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, considering all media in China is government-owned. When 70 per cent of fake products around the world are made in China, as reported by media, it stands to reason that bulk of their smiles too are fake behind which lie ulterior motives. With this as the background, it was expected that during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China, latter will focus on economic cooperation to China’s advantage and cooperating in international fora like WTO negotiations and climate change discussions and BRICS while continuing to make perfunctory noises about efforts to resolve territorial issues, continue political, diplomatic and military assertiveness at the tactical level, and avoid reference to China’s strategic lodgement in PoK. Already the balance of trade is skewed heavily in China’s favour albeit India-China bilateral trade has crossed $70 billion and is expected to touch $100 billion soon. Yet, China has not given up her policy of backstabbing India. When Premier Li Keqiang visited India, the PLA had a 19-km-deep intrusion in Depsang in Eastern Ladakh. In 2011, the CCTV, China’s state-owned TV, twice showed a map of India minus Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). During the current visit of Prime Minister Modi, CCTV first day showed map of India minus Aksai Chin, but by evening had changed the map to exclude both J&K and Arunachal Pradesh.

It is ironic that China objects to India assisting Vietnam in oil exploration in Vietnam waters on plea the waters are disputed but has the PLA lodged in Gilgit-Baltistan which in under illegal occupation of Pakistan, digging tunnels for deploying missiles and plans the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through this territory which belongs to India. In his meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, Prime Minister Modi emphasised on exploring a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution to the boundary issue; intensifying CBMs; importance of clarification of AC; tangible progress on issues relating to visa policy and trans-border rivers; regional concerns; need to enhance strategic communication and coordination in the region; enormous bilateral opportunities and many similar challenges, like urbanisation; China’s participation in ‘Make in India’; need to bridge the trade deficit, and enhancing people-to-people contact.

Both countries will be cooperating in railways, industrial parks and infrastructure. Post the meeting between the two Prime Ministers, India and China signed 24 agreements worth over $10 billion: Protocol for establishing consulates in Chengdu and Chennai; Cooperation in vocational education and skill development and setting up of Mahatma Gandhi Institute on Skill Development in India; Consultative mechanism on cooperation in trade negotiations; Cooperation between Foreign Ministry and Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CCCPC); Action plan between national railway administration of China and Indian Railways; MoU on education exchange programme; Cooperation in the fields of mining and minerals; Space cooperation outline; Safety regulations on importing Indian rapeseed meal; Broadcasting agreement between CCTV and DD; Agreement for cooperation in the field of tourism; MoU on establishing India-China think tanks forum; MoU between NITI Aayog and China’s Development Research Centre; MoU on cooperation in earthquake science and engineering; MoU on cooperation in ocean sciences, climate change and cryosphere; MoU on understanding on cooperation in geosciences; MoU on establishingstates/provincial leaders’ forum; Establishment of India-China state leaders forum; Agreement on establishing of sister states Sichuan and Karnataka; Agreements on establishing sister cities Chennai-Chongqing, Hyderabad-Gingdao and Aurangabad-Dunhuang; MoU between ICCR and Fudan University for establishment of Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies, and; MoU for the establishing Yoga college in Kumning.

During the joint press conference, Prime Minister Modi said that re-emergence of India and China and their relationship will have a profound impact on the two countries and the course of this century. He stressed the need for China to reconsider its approach on some of the issues that impeded realising full potential of the bilateral partnership. He suggested that China should take a strategic and longterm view of the relations. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Shanghai covered a broad range to include infrastructure, IT, pharma, agriculture and manufacturing. At Shanghai, Prime Minister Modi met 22 top Chinese CEOs and addressed a gathering of businessmen, exhorting them to ‘Make in India’ and adding “You are the factory of the world whereas we are the back office of the world. Indian and Chinese companies signed 21 agreements worth about $22 billion thereafter. These included many contracts with Chinese banks to finance Indian firms, and also included deals in the telecom, steel, solar energy and film sectors. While terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan was also discussed by Prime Minister Modi with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, the bottom-line however is that despite all the display of camaraderie the intentions of China remain suspect.

In recent past, China has raised the ante by way of political rhetoric, frequent transgressions across the LAC and cyberattacks on our networks. Despite the 18th round of boundary talks, China shows no inclination to move forward, to enable demarcation of the LAC. China has ‘guaranteed Pakistan’s territorial integrity’ without clarifying her stand on PoK. China has joined Pakistan’s proxy war against India by not only tacitly supporting the latter but Chinese intelligence also aiding and abetting militants in north-east India and the Maoists. Despite the promises to bridge the trade deficit over the past several years, the deficit has only steadily increased. For the present it appears that while China will extract maximum financial advantage from the evolving bilateral partnership, it will continue to undercut India at the strategic level, in conjunction Pakistan. Hopefully, China would heed India-China relationship in the long-term strategic perspective and give up its territorial obduracy. India will need to evolve its own response accordingly.