India China Relations

Changing Profile in the 21st Century

The epithets, such as 'civilizational states', 'natural allies', 'twin engines/key drivers' of Asian economic growth and the 'Asian giants' relating to India and China are very much in vogue in the international parlance. India-China relationship, in an upbeat mood, was variously envisioned as 'mutually interactive relationship' (Tagore), 'the most important of the most important' (Tan Yun-Shan), 'a worthy model of the Asian way of harmony and co-existence', an Asian balance' in the Col War context and 'Hindi-chini-bal-bal' (Nehru) The Himalayas, epitomizing geographical ambivalence, acted as a formidable barrier between India and China so much as to make them oblivious of each other and also offered no scope for any conflict until the advent of the European colonialism. Contrary to an expected burgeoning partnership between India and China-as a logical corollary of Panchsheel-these geographically proximate nations got embroiled in the border issue. The Sino-Indian war of 1962 perpetuated misunderstanding and misperceptions and eventually the trust-deficit. But, the Asian economic ascendency and the concern for promoting stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region prodded these Asian giants develop shared views and interests on geo-economic imperatives of globalization vis-a-vis their 'protacted geopolitical conflict.' The Rajiv Gandhi-Deng Xiaoping talks in 1988 paved the way for a series of initiatives underscoring the primacy of mutual accommodation and cooperation for 'building a relationship of friends and trust based on equality', and 'developing the strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity'. Yet, the clandestine military manoeuvres, ostensibly by China, and the concept of 'India balancing China' have exacerbated the 'trust-deficit' between them. However, their membership in a plethora of multilateral frameworks in Asia-Pacific offers a multitude of possibilities for fruitful partnerships. This anthology portrays the prospects of cooperation for mutual benefit as well as provocative for mutual benefit as well as provocative challenges for these two Asian dynamos in the wake of Asian Solidarity and new global order gaining momentum.