Essay on India and China Relations: From Rivalry to Enmity - China and India are two of the world’s oldest civilizations which have had cultural and economic relations dating back to the ancient times. However, relations between contemporary China and India have been characterized by border disputes, resulting in three major military conflicts – Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Chola incident in 1967, the 1937 Sino-Indian skirmish and more recently docklam standoff. However, since the late 1980s both the countries have effectively maintained diplomatic and economic ties. In 2008, China became India’s biggest trading partner and since then both countries have also tried to extend their strategic and military relations.
Essay on India and China Relations: From Rivalry to Enmity
China and India are two of the world’s oldest civilizations
which have had cultural and economic relations dating back to the ancient
times. India has seen many Chinese travelers coming to the country, settling
down at the court of rulers and writing accounts of their stay and what they
saw. These chronicles by the Chinese travelers are a major source of knowing
about our past.
However, relations between contemporary China and India have
been characterized by border disputes, resulting in three major military
conflicts – Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Chola incident in 1967, the 1937
Sino-Indian skirmish and more recently docklam standoff. However, since the
late 1980s both the countries have effectively maintained diplomatic and
economic ties. In 2008, China became India’s biggest trading partner and since
then both countries have also tried to extend their strategic and military
relations.
Rapid globalization of the world has infused a sense of
rivalry among the nations. There is a surge to be the most potent and
influential. This has compelled the nations to device methods to prove their
supremacy. Similar is the case with China, which on one hand, talks of teaming
up to expand the strategic opportunities whereas on the other hand, through its
recent reforms, seeks to the alter the rules of global economic competition
beyond trade and investment.
Irrespective of the increasing economic and strategic ties,
there are several hurdles for India and China which prohibit a favorable relation
between them. Although bilateral trade has rapidly improved, India still faces
substantial trade inequity which seems to favor China. Furthermore, border
dispute remains irresolvable. Indian media has repeatedly reported Chinese
military incursions into Indian Territory but Chinese government has not paid
any heed to it. However, heavy military infrastructure has been established by
both countries at the border.
Most Indian strategists today view China as India's
principal security threat. India is apparently the world’s largest arms
importer, despite its conventional military superiority over neighboring
Pakistan. A majority of the initiatives to improve India's military
infrastructure are taking place at Indo-China border. In 2009, India added two
new mountain-infantry divisions, followed in 2013 by the raising of India's
first offensive Strike Corps, all for the Eastern Sector of the border dispute
with China.
The disagreement between the two nations is not restricted
to the boundary dispute. Tibet as a major remains cause of tension between the
two. Moreover, China's relationship with Pakistan has been another major
concern area for India. Its role in empowering Pakistan's conventional, missile
and nuclear capabilities is noteworthy. China’s role in aiding Pakistan to
develop projects and infrastructure in the disputed land between India and
Pakistan has not gone down well with India.
China's strengthening economic and political accomplices
with India's immediate neighbor too is a matter of concern. It has been noticed
that China's interest as well as interaction with these countries increased
rapidly. China is now more involved politically as well as commercially with
countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Its increasing
interest in operating on the Indian Ocean, which India has traditionally
considered its backyard, is posing security concerns for India. However, China
emphasizes that these activities are just meant for economic development and
security for its ships. It will be a folly to trust China blindly on any such
claims.
There have also been reports of Chinese dam construction on
its side of the Brahmaputra River. This can pose a threat to India as China did
not respect the information sharing agreement in this case. The economic tie
between the nations does not look in a good shape as the bilateral trade in
goods fell by around 10%. The Chinese government has also been accused of visa
abuses by Chinese companies and ill-treatment towards Indian labors in China.
There have also been complaints regarding cyber-spying and cyber-attack on
Indian military and government network by Chinese agencies.
In recent years, India and China have engaged in a strategic
dialogue. The leaders had annual summit-level talks. They interacted at annual
meetings of the BRICS countries and met on the sidelines of Group of 20 and
other global forums. So it can be said that India and China have had abundant
high-level engagement. But the question is have these meeting had the desired
result? Both the countries have been talking about working hand in hand. But
how can China justify its breach of information sharing agreement in case of
Brahmaputra river dam.
Chinese encroachment towards Indian border and its
assistance to Pakistan clearly signify that its intentions are all but to build
a healthy relation with India. At every point it seems that Chinese government
has not understood the seriousness of its relations with India. Although there
had been talks of fostering strong relation between both the nations but India
is still at China's radar for attack.
It is believed that China is trying to use intrusion to
force India to agree upon freezing its troop level on the border. The recent
standoff between India and China at the Doklam plateau which lies at a
tri-junction between the India, China, and Bhutan has gained much attention. It
has turned into the biggest military stand-off between the two armies in years.
There had even been fear of a war between the two countries. It started when
India objected a road construction by the China in the Doklam plateau which
China claims to be a part of its Donglang region. However, India and Bhutan
recognize it as Doklam, a Bhutan territory. Both India and China increased the
presence of their troops and since then there has been a war of words
especially from the Chinese state media. Although the military standoff has
been averted, diplomatic negotiations have not yielded many results to cool-off
the passions across the border. The need of the hour is to review Chinese
policies in the present context. Furthermore our prime concern should also be
to safeguard Indian cyber and energy security by ending total dependence on
China in crucial sectors such as communications, electronics and power.
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