China policy must be need-based, and no more
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for his much-anticipated visit to China from May 14, he has set the ball rolling by remarking that both India and China have learned from past experiences and are, therefore, better prepared to handle the future with maturity. He expressed these sentiments in an interview to TIME magazine, on whose cover he has featured in both the US and the international editions for the first time. He is right in observing that, despite large tracts of disputed borders there has been tranquility in the region, with ‘not a single bullet fired'. It is also true, as he has said, that in the last couple of decades, both India and China have developed close cooperation in matters of trade and business. Mr Modi has candidly stated that every major country — China not excluded — would seek to enhance its influence globally. He called it a “natural tendency”.
Implicit in these remarks is a realisation that China is here to stay as a major regional and global power and that India, a regional power in its own right, need not be defensive on this front. On the other hand, the Indian Prime Minister was quick to point out that New Delhi would be competing against China for a share of the international trade and business pie. Healthy competition where it is needed, cooperation where it is mutually beneficial, and firmness where national interests are involved, should be the cornerstones of India's dealings with not just China, but the rest of the world as well. Given this background, Mr Modi's upcoming visit to China will be watched keenly.
Enhanced economic cooperation will be one of the important issues that will be tracked. During his last visit to India, Chinese President Xi Jinping had bonded well with Prime Minister Modi, even sharing some moments on a traditional swing on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Gujarat. He had committed to China investing $20 billion in various projects here, spread over five years. Many observers had then commented that the amount was well short of what Japan had committed for a similar period. Nevertheless, the assurance demonstrated Beijing's resolve to strike a closer arrangement with New Delhi in this day and age.
All of this does not mean that Mr Modi's Government needs to fall head over heals in its relationship with China. The reality, however dampening it may be to the current mood of optimism, is that the Chinese have rarely backed India on contentious issues, especially when it comes to the shenanigans of Pakistan. Also, China, despite its professed claim to build stronger ties with India, continues to needle the latter on issues including the border one — even going to the extent of protesting against the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh, on the pretext of its claim that much of the State belongs to China. Finally, we must not forget that China had stormed into Indian borders in 1962 even as Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai was playing to the gallery.