India's China Policy: Should China regard India as a competitor or a partner?

Résumé du document

The question of Indo-Chinese relationship is very complex. Even though they developed cooperation and friendship at the end of the colonial era, China had clashed with India right after the independence of India in 1947 and the creation of the PRC in 1949. The first proof of the tensions existing between the two countries was the Sino-Indian war of 1962. Since then, relationships between India and China have been tortuous and even nowadays they have not normalized. On one hand China would benefit from cooperation with India, not only economically, but also politically and diplomatically. On the other hand, a lot of unresolved issues and a lack of consideration for India's weight on the international scene prevent China from being willing to negotiate with its neighbor. In this scenario, China can choose between several options including ignoring India, establishing a total friendship, considering India as a serious foe and considering India as a partner to find solutions with it. The first three options are conceivable, but the last one is the most suitable and the most beneficial for China. Indeed, even if China and India share political issues, their common values, their economic and social needs, as much as their will to count on the international political scene will lead them to ally with each other to form a great and influential power in the Asian region in the future.

Extraits

[...] my recommendations for China's policy? China has a definitive interest into creating a cooperative relation with India. However, this can not be lead without strategic policies. Firstly Beijing has to work candidly on the boundary issue, but both sides should realize that the current LAC with minor adjustments offers the best chance for a final settlement. Both sides have to be clear on their intentions in order to avoid miscalculations and diplomatic incidents. Using economic agreements to help both sides to accept the actual border could be a way to normalize the situation at the frontier. [...]

[...] II/ Propositions of China's policy towards India 1. China does not have to take India in consideration for its international policy China is becoming a superpower in Asia, growing and growing so fast that it could be a serious competitor for the US in a little while. The fact is that China could not see the opportunity or the interest of building a relationship with India. Indeed, China has always seen India as unequal, as an everlasting second place. From this point of view China will have no reason to cooperate with India. [...]

[...] This is just one example showing how India and China could share common interests and become complementary. Moreover from an entrepreneurial standpoint, Indian businessmen and corporations are already looking at China and at cooperation at the enterprise level: business leaders and corporations are establishing a base in China. For them, it is a natural partnership. Figure 1 : China and India, partners in competition, Accenture Figure 2 : China and India, partners in competition, Accenture ( A cooperation of the two countries would be beneficial for the whole region; The cooperation of the two countries could have consequences for them, and their 23 billion residents. [...]

[...] Actually, China is able to reach all parts of India with its arsenal. Even if China's military threat seems to be bigger than India's one, and very easy to prove, India threat is rising into Chinese leaders mind. If India's was not seen as the beginning as a “peer competitor”, the nuclear test changed this perception. After the Cold War, India actually emerged as an unquestioned military power: what a few people know is that India is the fourth largest military force in the world. [...]

[...] Today, the focus is obviously on the trade issues about the two countries, possessing 38% of the world's population. The whole world is looking at them as two emerging economic powers, threatening the economies of the western and developed world. The fact is that the two countries seem to have the power to reshape the world trade, but if they could work together to maximize their growth, they also often see one another as serious competitors. A couple of years ago, the former prime minister of China, Wen Jiabao had already highlighted China's and India's common future saying that the common interests of China and India were greater than their differences. [...]