Indo-China relations
8 June 2013
This is an interesting article from a Pakistani perspective.
“Apart from economising on fuel consumption, the scheduling of the visits reveals Beijing’s attempts to send out the message that it seeks to strike a balance in its relations with Islamabad and New Delhi. Premier Li outlined the three-fold purpose of his visit to India as increasing mutual trust, intensifying cooperation and facing the future, which sums up the dynamics of Sino-Indo relations”.
China and India are the two largest developing countries. They are also two of the globe’s fastest growing economies. China is already a world power, while India is an aspirant for that status. Both China and India are among the four Bric countries, the other two being Russia and Brazil, that are widely predicted to dominate the global economic scene by 2050. Great powers, incumbent as well as those in the making, want to cast the world in their own image and shape the future according to their own interests. This invariably brings them into conflict. What is important is not to try and avoid the conflict, which at any rate is inevitable, but to keep it from assuming dangerous proportions. This is especially true of nuclear powers like China and India.
Mindful of this, New Delhi and Beijing are conducting their bilateral relations with an eye on the future, each knowing well that a military stand-off will hinder its economic ambitions. The two countries subscribe to a similar nuclear doctrine – ‘no first use of nuclear weapons and achieving deterrence through development of a secure second strike capability’. Both nations have a promising future, which neither would want to spoil by positioning itself aggressively vis-à-vis the other.
The up-gradation of Indo-China relations may raise some concerns in Pakistan, where China is held in the highest esteem. Beijing has been dubbed Islamabad’s ‘all-weather friend’ for having helped in testing times, and on most occasions unconditionally.
For details check out http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-182594-Indo-China-relations