Indian Foreign Minister’s successful China visit
By all accounts, the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to China has been a success. It may have lacked the optics but it was significant in both symbolism and substance. In a rare gesture, Chinese President Xi Jinping met her and told the world that relations between India and China were poised to grow further in the current year.
If his meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister was symbolic enough to send the message that Beijing valued its enhancing ties with New Delhi, then Beijing’s acceptance of an Indian proposal that China should back an Indian resolution at the United Nations that will seek to punish those who shelter terrorists and finance terrorism, is a diplomatic breakthrough.
The icing on the cake is that even Russia has agreed to support the resolution. Ms Swaraj is not exaggerating in claiming the development as a “major achievement”. The third important development has been China’s support to India for the latter’s larger role in the affairs of the influential Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Since her visit to China had come in the immediate aftermath of US President Barack Obama’s high-profile trip to India, the warm rapport which Prime Minister Modi and he struck, and the joint statement of the two countries making a mention of the Asia-Pacific and the South China Sea, it had been feared that Ms Swaraj would have to take questions from the Chinese leadership on the rapidly growing proximity between India and the US and what it held for New Delhi-Beijing ties.
From all accounts, that did not happen. China and India are mature countries and realise that bilateral ties are not necessarily crafted at the cost of another country’s interests. Mr Obama has already stated that China need not be apprehensive about the strengthening India-US friendship, and Beijing has made it known that it is not unduly worried by the development.
India and China share an important trade relationship that has an enormous potential to multiply. Besides, they are among the most powerful nations in the Asian region and have, thus, the added responsibility to conduct their affairs in a manner that does not destabilise peace in the region. The two have a long-standing border dispute to resolve.
None of these is likely to happen if either China or India ceaselessly rants over the other’s outreach to another country. let us not forget that soon after winning the hearts and minds of many Indians during his hugely publicised visit last month, Mr Obama went back home to announce a substantial non-military aid to Islamabad. We need to take it in our stride.
The success of Ms Swaraj’s visit had become all the more critical because it was to lay the ground for Prime Minister Modi’s trip to China in May, before his Government completes one year in office. The unravelling of events gave the External Affairs Minister the confidence to state that determined efforts were on to make Mr Modi’s visit “action-oriented” and to look for ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions. Time will tell what these will be, but the ball has been set rolling. Being powerful and purposeful leaders, Mr Xi and Mr Modi have the opportunity that history provides to people at the helm only rarely. They need to take that extra step and seize it.