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The outside world has been curious about the future interaction of China and India, given the two Asian giants’swift emergence as world powers in the last two decades. Meanwhile, debates on the dragon and elephant wrestling catch people’s attention at times. Some publications on the theme became bestsellers. These publications, with cover images featuring the dragon and the elephant fighting each other, seem to remind readers that there would probably be a confrontation between China and India in the future as the 21st century is undoubtedly an Asian century.
However, the divergence between the two has been exaggerated intentionally or unintentionally. Leaders from major Indian political parties said with the gradual rise of the two countries, their common interests and the complementary nature of their relations have become more prominent. Both are focusing on economic development and addressing domestic social problems such as poverty, employment and wealth gaps. Their bilateral relations emphasize cooperation and learning from each other, while differences remain.
Rising simultaneously
“The rise of both countries is not confrontational, not adverse; it is very complementary to each other,” Shri Manish Tewari, a spokesman of the Indian National Congress(INC), the major party of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, and a member of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, told Beijing Review at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
The similar fate in the past 200 years has helped China and India establish a good start for their relations after emerging from foreign control. Though border disputes caused a rift for years, the common destiny of the two countries has drawn them closer.
The rapid growth of the two economies has contributed to the acceleration of their mutual interaction. According to the INC spokesman, in recent seven years, the presidents and prime ministers from the two countries have met more than 25 times.
In 2011, the two countries witnessed the Year of China-India Exchange. Many activities were held to promote mutual understanding. And this year is the Year of Friendship and Cooperation between China and India, launched by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the fourth summit of the BRICS group of major emerging economies in New Delhi at the end of March.
“If you talk about the 21st century, people would like to call it the Asian century. That’s our shared destiny,” said Tewari. “So in a sense, we believe both India and China have a role to play. The rise of one is not at the cost of the other.”
“China and India together constitute one third of the world’s population. A closer bond between India and China will benefit the world, not only the region. I think the first issue is better cooperation between India and China. One of the most important areas for Sino-Indian relations is economic cooperation,” said Sitaram Yechury, a member of upper house of the Indian Parliament and a senior member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), the fourth largest party in the Indian Parliament.
In the last decade, Sino-Indian bilateral trade has increased by leaps and bounds, from$2.92 billion in 2000 to about $70 billion in 2011. And the bilateral trade volume is expected to surpass $100 billion by 2015.
Yechury said there is a lot of synergy that can be developed between India and China if policies are worked out according to certain planning.
“For instance, China is really ahead of India in terms of hardware information technology. India has an advantage in terms of software information technology. Now if we are able to synergize these two, there is tremendous potential for development in terms of the sector of information technology. Like this, I think there are lots of probabilities which should be explored,”said Yechury.
In 2003, a joint study group was set up to examine potential complementarities between the two countries in expanding trade and economic cooperation. In September 2011, the first Sino-Indian Strategic and Economic Dialogue, a forum to discuss strategic and macroeconomic issues impacting both nations, took place in Beijing.
Facing the challenges of globalization, Yechury said India should learn from China.“The way in which China has met globalization, the way it is overcoming difficulties by shifting its entire economic strategy to domestic demand, that is a very important lesson for us and the world,” Yechury said.
Cooperating globally
At a similar stage of development and with similar future positions, the two Asian giants share lots in common on world issues. Both as members of the UN, the Group of 20 major economies and the BRICS group, China and India have maintained close consultation on issues such as climate change, the reform of international financial institutions, Doha Round trade talks and other global and regional issues.
“We have demonstrated good cooperation and coordination in climate change,” said the INC’s Tewari. “On the question of the situation in the Middle East, there is also a vast convergence of views.”
As co-founders of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China and India pursue independent foreign policies. In the face of the Middle East turmoil, both countries have made a stand against Western military intervention.
Tewari said cooperation between China and India certainly doesn’t mean the “G2.”So the rest of the world shouldn’t have any reason to fear Sino-Indian cooperation.
Yechury of the CPIM said cooperation should be strengthened between India and China on world stability.
“What started with Iraq and Afghanistan has spread all over the Arab world. The United States and Europe are trying to redivide the sphere of influence in the Arab world. They want to change the sphere of influence according to their own interests,” said Yechury.
Facing up to differences
“Yes, there are traditional disputes we have over borders. There are different perceptions we have over the positioning in South Asia between China and India. All these can be overcome through a process of bilateral dialogue,” said Yechury.
Border disputes exist between the two neighbors as a legacy of British colonial rule in India. A severe border clash took place between the two in 1962. However, since then, boundary negotiations have continued and mutual trust has increased.
On January 17, China and India signed a pact on border consultation, creating a working mechanism to deal with border-related affairs so as to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas.
“We have problems. I won’t think they are unsolvable. As far as border disputes are concerned, very clearly, I can appreciate that China tries seriously to solve the issue,” said Prakash Javadekar, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament.
“You can change many things but you cannot change your neighbors. You have to have peace with them,” said Javadekar, who is also a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament. “We appreciate friendship with China because we are two emerging countries. Together we can play a role in the world.”
At times, some Indian media outlets follow Western media by playing up the “China threat” to catch people’s eyes.
“There are international players who we know will not be very happy with a good India-China relationship, because naturally they are worried if one third of the world population is united. They are worried about the potential global domination of the two countries,” Yechury said.
In the meantime, Yechury warned that the Indian Government should stay conscious and be cautious about Washington’s wooing of India.
“India should be very careful not to be drawn into the U.S. strategy of containment of China. The U.S. strategy of containing China wants India to be with the United States. That serves their interests but we don’t think it’s in India’s interest,” Yechury said. “Our bilateral relations should be based on engagement with China, not the containment of China.”
However, the divergence between the two has been exaggerated intentionally or unintentionally. Leaders from major Indian political parties said with the gradual rise of the two countries, their common interests and the complementary nature of their relations have become more prominent. Both are focusing on economic development and addressing domestic social problems such as poverty, employment and wealth gaps. Their bilateral relations emphasize cooperation and learning from each other, while differences remain.
Rising simultaneously
“The rise of both countries is not confrontational, not adverse; it is very complementary to each other,” Shri Manish Tewari, a spokesman of the Indian National Congress(INC), the major party of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, and a member of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, told Beijing Review at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
The similar fate in the past 200 years has helped China and India establish a good start for their relations after emerging from foreign control. Though border disputes caused a rift for years, the common destiny of the two countries has drawn them closer.
The rapid growth of the two economies has contributed to the acceleration of their mutual interaction. According to the INC spokesman, in recent seven years, the presidents and prime ministers from the two countries have met more than 25 times.
In 2011, the two countries witnessed the Year of China-India Exchange. Many activities were held to promote mutual understanding. And this year is the Year of Friendship and Cooperation between China and India, launched by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the fourth summit of the BRICS group of major emerging economies in New Delhi at the end of March.
“If you talk about the 21st century, people would like to call it the Asian century. That’s our shared destiny,” said Tewari. “So in a sense, we believe both India and China have a role to play. The rise of one is not at the cost of the other.”
“China and India together constitute one third of the world’s population. A closer bond between India and China will benefit the world, not only the region. I think the first issue is better cooperation between India and China. One of the most important areas for Sino-Indian relations is economic cooperation,” said Sitaram Yechury, a member of upper house of the Indian Parliament and a senior member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), the fourth largest party in the Indian Parliament.
In the last decade, Sino-Indian bilateral trade has increased by leaps and bounds, from$2.92 billion in 2000 to about $70 billion in 2011. And the bilateral trade volume is expected to surpass $100 billion by 2015.
Yechury said there is a lot of synergy that can be developed between India and China if policies are worked out according to certain planning.
“For instance, China is really ahead of India in terms of hardware information technology. India has an advantage in terms of software information technology. Now if we are able to synergize these two, there is tremendous potential for development in terms of the sector of information technology. Like this, I think there are lots of probabilities which should be explored,”said Yechury.
In 2003, a joint study group was set up to examine potential complementarities between the two countries in expanding trade and economic cooperation. In September 2011, the first Sino-Indian Strategic and Economic Dialogue, a forum to discuss strategic and macroeconomic issues impacting both nations, took place in Beijing.
Facing the challenges of globalization, Yechury said India should learn from China.“The way in which China has met globalization, the way it is overcoming difficulties by shifting its entire economic strategy to domestic demand, that is a very important lesson for us and the world,” Yechury said.
Cooperating globally
At a similar stage of development and with similar future positions, the two Asian giants share lots in common on world issues. Both as members of the UN, the Group of 20 major economies and the BRICS group, China and India have maintained close consultation on issues such as climate change, the reform of international financial institutions, Doha Round trade talks and other global and regional issues.
“We have demonstrated good cooperation and coordination in climate change,” said the INC’s Tewari. “On the question of the situation in the Middle East, there is also a vast convergence of views.”
As co-founders of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China and India pursue independent foreign policies. In the face of the Middle East turmoil, both countries have made a stand against Western military intervention.
Tewari said cooperation between China and India certainly doesn’t mean the “G2.”So the rest of the world shouldn’t have any reason to fear Sino-Indian cooperation.
Yechury of the CPIM said cooperation should be strengthened between India and China on world stability.
“What started with Iraq and Afghanistan has spread all over the Arab world. The United States and Europe are trying to redivide the sphere of influence in the Arab world. They want to change the sphere of influence according to their own interests,” said Yechury.
Facing up to differences
“Yes, there are traditional disputes we have over borders. There are different perceptions we have over the positioning in South Asia between China and India. All these can be overcome through a process of bilateral dialogue,” said Yechury.
Border disputes exist between the two neighbors as a legacy of British colonial rule in India. A severe border clash took place between the two in 1962. However, since then, boundary negotiations have continued and mutual trust has increased.
On January 17, China and India signed a pact on border consultation, creating a working mechanism to deal with border-related affairs so as to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas.
“We have problems. I won’t think they are unsolvable. As far as border disputes are concerned, very clearly, I can appreciate that China tries seriously to solve the issue,” said Prakash Javadekar, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament.
“You can change many things but you cannot change your neighbors. You have to have peace with them,” said Javadekar, who is also a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament. “We appreciate friendship with China because we are two emerging countries. Together we can play a role in the world.”
At times, some Indian media outlets follow Western media by playing up the “China threat” to catch people’s eyes.
“There are international players who we know will not be very happy with a good India-China relationship, because naturally they are worried if one third of the world population is united. They are worried about the potential global domination of the two countries,” Yechury said.
In the meantime, Yechury warned that the Indian Government should stay conscious and be cautious about Washington’s wooing of India.
“India should be very careful not to be drawn into the U.S. strategy of containment of China. The U.S. strategy of containing China wants India to be with the United States. That serves their interests but we don’t think it’s in India’s interest,” Yechury said. “Our bilateral relations should be based on engagement with China, not the containment of China.”