Indio-China

Relations
 Conti…
• India and China Relations are among the
fastest growing major economies in the
world, the most populous countries, and
the major regional powers in Asia.
• Indo China Relations are a hot topic in
international public opinion.
• The People’s Republic of China (PRC)
was established on 1st October, 1949, and
India was the first non-communist
country to establish an Embassy in PRC.
 Conti…
• On 1st April,1950, India and China established
diplomatic relations.
• The two countries also jointly expounded the
Panchsheel in 1954.
– Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty,
– Mutual non-aggression,
– Mutual non-interference,
– Equality and mutual benefit, and
– Peaceful co-existence.
• India and China mark the 1st of April 2020 as
the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between them starting from 1950 till now.
 Conti…
• In 1955 Both countries attended the Asian-
African Conference in which 29 countries
participated in Bandung, Indonesia and jointly
advocated the Bandung Spirit of solidarity,
friendship and cooperation.
• It has led to the decolonization of the whole of
Asia and Africa and to the formation of a Non-
Aligned Movement as the third Way between
the Two Blocs of Superpowers.
• The First NAM Summit Conference took place
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
 Conti…
• 1976 China and India restored
ambassadorial relations and bilateral ties
improved gradually.
• 1988 Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
visited China, initiating the process of
normalization of bilateral relations.
• The two sides agreed to look forward and
develop bilateral relations actively in
other fields while seeking a mutually
acceptable solution to boundary
questions.
 Constraints
• The border conflict 1962 led to a serious setback in
bilateral relations.
• Border dispute and Security issues
– Aksai Chin Region
– McMahon Line
• Brahmaputra Water sharing Issue: Yarlung Tsangpo
in Tibet, China. (Tsangpo “Purifier”)
• China’s Debt-Trap diplomacy:
• China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)- potential,
challenges, measures with respect to India
• China’s Maritime strategy: its implications on India
Brahmaputra Water Sharing Issue
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• Belt Road Initiative: India has objected this,
since its inception on grounds of violating its
sovereignty pointing to China Pakistan
Economic Corridor.
• India’s support to China on global issues has
not led to Beijing’s reciprocation for instances:
China opposed India’s permanent
membership to UN Security Council and
entry into NSG.
• India faces trade imbalance heavily in some
favor of China. In 2017-18, trade deficit has
gone wide to US$62.9 billion in China’s favor.
 Conti…
• Two countries failed to resolve their border
dispute and steadily established military
infrastructure along border areas Indian media
outlets have repeatedly reported Chinese military
incursions into Indian territory
• China has expressed concerns about Indian
military and economic activities in the disputed
South China Sea. Same way India is also
concerned about rising Chinese activities in Indian
Ocean.
• China’s strong strategic bilateral relations with
Pakistan and other neighboring countries like Nepal
and Bhutan is cause of concern as these countries
act as buffer states.
 Conti…
• China continues to stake its claim to Arunachal
Pradesh as Southern Tibet.
• Beijing recently renamed 15 places in
Arunachal Pradesh, following the six it had
done in 2017.
• On January 1, 2022, Beijing’s new land border
law came into force, which provides the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with full
responsibility to take steps against “invasion,
encroachment, infiltration, provocation” and
safeguard Chinese territory
 Conti…
• Dalai Lama and Tibet: China accuses India of
fomenting trouble in Tibet due to the presence of
the Dalai Lama and protests staged by Tibetans
against China in India and other countries.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Stapled Visa: China
issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal
Pradesh questions India’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
• South China Sea: China’s territorial claims in the
South China Sea, contested by neighboring
countries, pose concerns for freedom of navigation
and stability in the region, which affects India’s
strategic interests.
 Conti…
• Bhutan and Nepal: China criticizes India’s
role and relationship with Bhutan and Nepal,
attempting to influence their ties and play the
“China card” against India.
• China-Pakistan Nexus: China’s support to
Pakistan in military.
• Galwan Valley Standoff: The deadly clash
between Indian and Chinese troops in the
Galwan Valley, resulting in casualties,
highlights the ongoing border tensions and the
need for de-escalation efforts.
 Conti…
• Partnerships with each other's main enemies,
including the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States,
have prevented them from becoming strategic partners
and cooperating on strategic matters.
• The growing power gap between China and India:
With China's GDP being five times that of India's, has
made it difficult for India to be accommodative without
appearing to surrender.
• Infrastructure build-up, particularly in Tibet, has led
to a security dilemma in which military relations go into
a spiral that could tempt one side or both to go to war.
• These challenges have contributed to strained relations
between India and China and require diplomatic efforts
and negotiations to address and resolve the disputes.
 Areas of Cooperation
Political and Diplomatic Relations
• 20 Inter-parliamentary friendship groups
have been set up by China and India.
• There are 50 dialogue mechanisms between
China and India for exchanging views on
various topics of bilateral, regional and global
concern.
• In 1993, Agreement on the Maintenance of
Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) on the India-China Border
Areas was signed to bring stability and
substance in bilateral ties.
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• In 2008, two countries have also extended their
strategic and military relations.
• MoU was signed to open an additional route
for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu
La.
• India and China have also established a High
Level Dialogue Mechanism on Counter
Terrorism and Security
• To facilitate exchanges between Indian states
and Chinese provinces, States/Provincial
Leaders Forum was established
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Economy and Trade
• Since the beginning of the 21st century, trade
between China and India has grown from less
than $3 billion to nearly $100 billion, an
increase of about 32 times.
• In 2019, the trade volume between China
and India was $92.68 billion.
• With a combined market of over 2.7 billion
people and a GDP of 20% of the world's
total, China and India enjoy huge potential and
broad prospects for economic and trade
cooperation.
 Conti…
• China will establish two Industrial Parks
in India and expressed their intention to
enhance Chinese investment in India
• India extended e-visa facility to Chinese
nationals
• Strategic Economic Dialogues led by the
Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog and the
Chairman of National Development and
Reform Commission of China
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Science and Technology:
• Both nations have held Joint Research workshops on
Science and Technology Innovation.
• Indian companies have set up IT corridors in China,
which help promote China-India cooperation in
information technology and high technology.
Defense:
• ‘Hand-in-Hand’ joint anti-terrorist exercises to
enhance mutual understanding and trust, exchange
training experiences and jointly improve anti-terrorism
capabilities.
• China-India defense and security consultation to
strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the defense
field.
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Cultural Relations:
• India and China have entered into an agreement
on co-production of movies
• Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in China.
China was one of the co-sponsors to the UN
resolution designating June 21 as the International
Day of Yoga
Education Relations:
• India and China signed Education Exchange
Programme (EEP), which is an umbrella
agreement for educational cooperation between
the two countries.
• Chinese students are also annually awarded
scholarships to study Hindi at Kendriya Hindi
Sansthan, to learn Hindi
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Indian Community:
• Presently around 35,500 Indians are
staying in China, students and working
professional form a major part of it.
• “PICFA” Pondicherry India China
Friendship Association is an NGO
dedicated for developing people-to-
people relation between India and China
in areas of education, culture and tourism.
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People-to-People Exchanges
• Both nations have held meetings of
China-India High-Level People-to-People
and Cultural Exchanges Mechanism.
• The two sides have made new progress
on exchanges and cooperation in the
fields of art, publishing, media, film and
television, museum, sports, youth,
tourism, locality, traditional medicine,
yoga, education and think tanks.
 Conti…
• Sessions of China-India High Level Media Forum
and China-India Think Tank Forum were held to
strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field
of media and think tanks.
• The two countries have established pairs of sister
cities and provinces. For example, sister
provinces and cities between Fujian Province and
Tamil Nadu State, Quanzhou City and Chennai
City.
• The number of Indian pilgrims to Xizang
Autonomous Region of China has surged from
several hundreds in the 1980s to more than 20,000
in 2019.
 Way Forward
• Managing relationship with China has become the
biggest test for Indian foreign policy
• Trust deficit is a critical issue in Sino-Indian
bilateral relations. In order to solve this problem,
track II diplomacy can play a more active role.
For e.g. BCIM (Bangladesh–China–India–
Myanmar) economic corridor is an outcome of
track II dialogue.
• There is a need to control negative publicity in the
relationship. Deeper engagements between the
media persons of the two countries can help in
improving image of the two countries.
 Conti…
• Cultural industry, including tourism, entertainment,
publications, internet service sectors, needs to be
targeted to reduce the trade deficit.
• There is need to increase the frequency of talks at
highest levels multilateral meets such as East Asia
Summit (EAS), the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO), Conference on Interaction and
Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA),
BRICS and G-20.
• India and China should seek an early settlement of the
border issue, before the final settlement of the
boundary question is reached we should jointly
maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.