India-China relation: An Unpredictable Story

Since 1947, India has come a long way in its endeavor of maintaining friendly relations with nations. We have been a peace loving nation having earned global respect and praise for our unbiased approach and peaceful methods. However, when it comes to China, our foreign policy makers have indeed found it difficult on various occasions to deal with The Dragon.

In the recent turn of events, India and China find themselves in another state of confrontation at the border, this time in the Dokolam Area at the India-China-Bhutan border tri-junction. The Chinese Army was constructing a motor able road in the area, which was prevented by the Indian Army, citing the reason that the area in contention belonged to Bhutan. India is a close ally of Bhutan and this series of actions is an attempt to reaffirm India-Bhutan friendship and uphold the commitment to safeguard Bhutan’s interests. Adding to the significance, the Dokolam area is very close to the road which connects certain parts of North East India to the rest of the country.    

While Indo-China stand-offs are not new for these countries, this time perhaps the things have gone a bit more serious, as the top level executives have not only involved themselves but also gone on to the extent of warning. We have had our share of bitterness with China, and have also had certain phases of reconciliation and friendship. However, it must be admitted that in spite of our cultural, geographical and economic similarities with China, we have never been able to reach that level of comfort with them which we should have.

If we are to understand our relations with China in depth, it would be imperative to know the history of Sino-Indian relations, as what transpired in the past still forms the prime basis of what is happening today. India and China have been traditionally connected in various ways. In the ancient period, The Silk Route provided for crucial trade operations between the two countries. It also enabled cultural and philosophical exchange and the subsequent spread of Buddhism from India to China, which still remains a prominent religion there. Many Chinese travelers and scholars visited India, and carried back the richness of Indian culture and traditions to their land.

Since Independence, our diplomatic ties with China have seen several ups and downs. The first signs of disagreement came over the region of Tibet where the Chinese were trying to establish control, and India’s interference in the matter displeased them. In 1954, Pandit Nehru signed the historic Panchsheel Pact which called for mutual respect, non-aggression and peaceful existence of both India and China. However, the dispute prevailed and in fact took new shapes in the form of border issues in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. All these differences aggravated to an extent which led to the Indo-China War of 1962, where India was defeated.

The borders and frontiers has since been a subject of controversies and sour relations between the two nations. There have of course been initiatives at both ends- round table conferences, summits and high profile visits, but to be honest, Indo-China relation has been mainly characterized by skepticism and distrust rather than warmth. China’s suspiciously close bond with Pakistan has further harmed the prospects of building strong ties with India. China supported Pakistan in the 1971 and the Kargil War, and went on to condemn India openly after the Nuclear Tests in 1998.

While we analyze Indo-China relations in detail, one fact that pertinently highlights in the analysis is that the foreign policy of India has often been strongly driven by public opinion. Indians have often held a cynical view about China and that can be clearly seen in the way we have handled China. If we carefully go through the pages of history, we would find that China has gone a step ahead on quite a few occasions and tried to bridge the confidence gap with India. But our hostility and negative opinion have been hindrances in the bilateral dialogs. May be we are somewhat right in judging China as an opportunist and a shrewd player, but there have been instances when Beijing has strongly emphasized on strong relations with New Delhi but the reaction from our side has been lukewarm.

Ever since Xi Jinping became the President of China, he has been seemingly willing to get to an amicable solution to the border dispute with India. In fact, during the BRICS Summit of 2013 at Durban, Jinping stressed on the significance of Indo-China cooperation and reiterated that he wanted to settle issues with India as early as possible. As calculative and canny the Chinese government might be, but given its geographical proximity and socio-economic closeness to India, our efforts should have perhaps been based more on diplomatic pragmatism rather than sentiments.

As of today, China is India’s largest trading partner. The manufacturing giant imports raw materials such as Cotton and minerals from India, and floods the Indian markets with finished goods, mostly at much cheaper prices. In the recent years large Chinese firms have invested merrily in India, and certain Indian companies have also sought China as a preferred investment destination. Going beyond Trade and Commerce, India and China also share cultural richness. Interestingly, certain Bollywood movies have performed exceptionally well at the Chinese Box Office and have earned applause for Indian people and Indian art. Also, many Chinese tourists come to India, especially to visit Buddhist Heritage Sites, and give a boost to Indian Tourism.

Quite clearly, China remains India’s crucial and dynamic partner. National interests should always come first when it comes to foreign policy, but we must also keep in mind that China as an ally is important to India. Our preconceived notions and bitterness from the history should not come in way of establishing mutual trust and cooperation with China. The government must not hold back in its efforts to foster friendly relations, particularly when China has been looking interested in doing so. Of course, this has to be done without compromising with the interests of our nation.

Let’s see where this story of two of the world’s largest nations heads from here…….