Building New Bridges With China navhindtimes.in/?p=57052The first high-level meeting of the nuclear-armed rival Asian giants - India and China - since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge is a good step towards stronger ties. The recent meeting between China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in Delhi was aimed to build relations with the Modi government, which came to power in May on a pledge to revive the economy. Talks between Wang and Swaraj on economic and other issues were “productive and substantive,” MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, adding, “All issues of significance were raised and discussed in a frank and cordial manner.” Wang was effusive in his praise for the new government saying it had injected new vitality into an ancient civilisation. “The international community is closely following developments in India and the Chinese and Indian dreams have a lot of Commonalities,” the Chinese leader said. Diplomats view the meeting as a productive beginning between the new government of India and the Chinese government. The visit is a “good augury,” they said. Trade ties The talks focused on trade ties but also touched on a border dispute between the neighbours - both with one-billion-plus population - that has soured relations for decades. Wang also called on Modi, who has extended olive branches to traditional rivals China and Pakistan since coming to office despite his hardline nationalist reputation. Modi has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit India later this year, an offer that Wang said has been accepted. Wang said he had travelled to Delhi as a special envoy of Xi to “cement our existing friendship and explore further cooperation.” “China is ready to work with our Indian friends for an even brighter future of our strategic and cooperative partnership,” Wang said. The two sides discussed possible opportunities for engagement during the course of the year at high levels - both in terms of bilateral visits and meetings on the margins of various multilateral meets in which leaders from both the countries are likely to participate. An expert said China has gone all out to woo the new Indian government, which is a great gesture. Analysts say Modi’s landslide victory has given him a mandate for more assertive foreign policy than the previous government. He held talks with his Pakistani counterpart last month after inviting leaders of regional neighbours to his inauguration. China is India’s biggest trading partner with two-way commerce totalling close to $70 billion. But India’s trade deficit with China has soared to over $40 billion from just $1 billion in 2001-02, Indian figures show. Experts say Modi must bridge the deficit by seeking greater access to the Chinese market, with the two sides targeting annual bilateral trade of $100 billion by 2015. Mutual suspicion Relations, however, are still dogged by mutual suspicion - a legacy of a brief, bloody border war in 1962 over the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Modi warned China to shed its “expansionist mindset” at an election rally earlier this year. China hit back, saying it “never waged a war of aggression to occupy any inch of land of other countries.” Relations between the two countries also took a hit last April when India accused Chinese troops of intruding deep into its territory in another remote region of the Himalayas, sparking a three-week stand-off that was only resolved when troops from both sides pulled back. India has long been cautious in its relationship with China amid worries about Beijing’s growing power as well as a decade-old border dispute. During the election campaign, Modi had said India did not want a war with China, but would be prepared to deal with what he called Beijing’s possible expansionist designs. Wang acknowledged the border tensions, but said the two countries have “much more strategic consensus than differences and cooperation is our top priority.” The border between China and India has never been formally demarcated, although they have signed accords to maintain peace. Foreign investment Akbaruddin said increasing Chinese investment in India was discussed including setting up industrial parks. Modi, who vaulted to power on a promise of reforming and reviving the slumping economy, was a frequent visitor to China before he became premier to seek investment for his home state of Gujarat. He has pledged increased foreign investment to help kick-start the economy. Enticing foreign investment and factories is seen as crucial for creating jobs in India where around 13 million youths are entering the labour market each year. The talks have kindled hopes of spurring stalled trade and easing decades of tensions between the Asian nations. Modi - who campaigned largely on promises of economic growth - surprised Indians by focusing his first week in office on foreign relations with India’s neighbours, including Pakistan, its traditional archrival. For the first time, India invited South Asian leaders to the prime minister’s swearing-in ceremony. The move had the double effect of distracting the Indian public from election-time divisions and confirming India’s key role in the region. It also set the stage for Wang’s visit, signalling China and India could be growing closer.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 18:54:18 +0000
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