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World Affairs
Transforming Historical Sino-Indian Relations
Cheng Ruisheng
The new century will see China and India emerging as world powers. Of interest is how the relations between these two neighbours will develop. The key rests in good neighbourly relations and mutual understanding.
With the start of the new millennium, China and India, the two largest countries of Asia paradoxically find themselves as countries that represent both the old and the new. Both nations can be proud of their ancient civilisations, and can at the same time boast of striking achievements in the sphere of economic and social development.
Since the introduction of economic reforms and the opening of the economy to the outside world, China has succeeded in maintaining a high rate of economic growth. The average rate of economic growth in the past five years was 8.3 per cent. China's steel production reached 128.5 million tons in 2000, while its share in the world market also increased. China's foreign trade rose to US$ 474.3 billion in 2000, while its foreign exchange reserves increased to US$ 165.6 billion at the end of 2000. It is expected that China will enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) very soon, initiating a new period of its reform processes and the opening of the economy. Recently, the International Olympic Committee announced a major decision that China will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. This is, indeed, a momentous decision that heralds historical changes in China, which was referred to as "the sickman of East Asia" about a 100 years ago.
India's achievements in its economic development are also amazing. Its rate of economic growth was fairly high during the last decade. India has developed a comprehensive system of industries, while its science and technology sector occupies a leading position among developing countries. India's development in the fields of atomic energy, aerospace and electronics has reached a considerable level. With a fast growth of its software production and export, India will soon become a "software superpower". India's green revolution and white revolution have also been widely acclaimed all over the world.
It can be recalled that a 100 years ago, both China and India were underdeveloped owing to colonial and semi-colonial oppression. It was only after India's independence and China's liberation in the middle of the last century that significant achievements were made. Therefore, historical facts of both countries bear out the fact that with independence and sovereignty, they are able to achieve a great deal while without independence and sovereignty they had the risk of losing everything. In the new century, there is every possibility that both China and India will become world powers, reducing their gap with the developed countries step by step. In this context, how relations between China and India, two giants neighbouring each other, will develop in the new century is indeed an interesting subject of study.
China and India: Common Interests
Traditionally, there exists a long-standing friendship between the peoples of China and India. In ancient times, their ancestors braved hardships, climbed mountains and crossed rivers to promote exchanges between the two great civilisations, leaving behind a brilliant chapter in the world history of cultural exchanges. In a number of cities in China, monuments that are linked to India can still be found. The name of the prominent Chinese monk, Huen Tsang is popular in both countries. In modern times, peoples of both countries empathised with each other and supported each other in the struggle for national independence. Dr Kotnis, who sacrificed his youth for the liberation of the Chinese people, is always remembered in China. The tradition of friendship laid a solid foundation for the grand edifice of Sino-Indian friendship, while vital common interests in many areas between both countries have gone a long way in sustaining this friendship.
The most important common interest between China and India is a peaceful and stable environment for their economic and social development. Since China is India's biggest neighbour and India is China's second biggest neighbour, their need to live in peaceful coexistence will not only be an important factor for their security, but will also greatly affect their economic growth prospects. Peaceful coexistence will ensure that there will be no need for either to divert their precious economic resources on military preparedness against each other. This is even more significant in view of the fact that both countries still have so many internal problems to deal with on their road towards development. Indeed, with an extensive land area, large population, ever-increasing economic and military power of both countries, enemity or confrontation between them will prove to be very costly for both. In order to achieve peaceful coexistence, it is most important that both China and India continue their present policy of good neighbourliness towards each other and adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which were jointly enunciated by them in 1954. It is true that with the development of economic and military strength of both countries, some feeling of apprehension and competition might grow among the peoples of both countries. However, as long as both countries are firm in implementing their policy of good neighbourliness, the feeling of apprehension and competition will be replaced by mutual understanding and trust through greater friendly exchanges between the two countries. I still remember that during my tenure as the Chinese Ambassador in India in early 1990s, the then Defence Minister of India, Mr Sharad Pawar, after returning from a goodwill visit to China, remarked to the Indian journalists that during his visit, he had observed that the Chinese people were concentrating on economic construction. He came to the conclusion that China had no ambition of hegemonic expansion against any of its neighbours, including India. His remarks were, indeed, very encouraging. It is especially heartening to note that both countries have attached a great deal of importance to friendly exchanges at the highest level. After the Indian President, Mr K R Narayanan's state visit to China last year, Chairman Li Peng paid a successful visit to India early this year. Premier Zhu Rongji also recently visited the country. Friendly exchanges between the armed forces, scholars, journalists and cultural institutions of both countries can also enhance mutual understanding and trust to a greater degree. History has proved and will continue to prove that to maintain peace and friendship between the two countries, the policies adopted by them towards each other still remain the decisive factor, and not the balance of power between them.
It is also in the common interest of both China and India to develop greater amount of trade and economic cooperation between them. Trade between the two countries grew rapidly in the last decade. While the volume of trade between the two countries was only US$ 264 million in 1991, it reached around US$ 3 billion in 2000. Since this is only a small percentage of the total volume of the foreign trade of both countries, there is great potential in further developing trade between them. There are a number of favourable conditions for that. Both China and India are huge markets. They are engaged in economic reforms and with greater economic development in both countries, additional varieties of commodities could be offered for exchange between them. Economic cooperation in the fields of steel, petroleum, space, software, etc has been developed. Exchange of experiences in their economic reforms can be very useful for both countries, since they have a number of common problems to tackle. It is encouraging to note that regional economic cooperation between China, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh is also being explored.
In the field of international affairs, China and India share common interest in the establishment of a new world order based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Owing to their common fate in the past of being ruled or oppressed by imperialism and colonialism for a long period of time, both China and India are firm in safeguarding their independence and sovereignty and opposing interference in the internal affairs of one country by another. They have identical views and stands on many international questions. Both support the reform of the United Nations, and hold the same view that the expansion of the Security Council should follow the principle of fair distribution of different regions and ensure an appropriate balance between developing countries and developed countries. Both are in favour of a multipolar world. While a unipolar world will exert great pressure on both countries, a multipolar world will give them more room for manoeuvres in foreign affairs. China has supported India's participation in APEC, while India has always supported China in the Human Rights Commission. With all these common interests, a constructive partnership of cooperation between the two countries will certainly be realised during the twenty-first century.
Sino-Indian Relations: Discounting Problems and Differences
It is inevitable that some problems and differences will crop up between two close neighbours like China and India. Handling these problems and differences in a sensible manner is essential for the maintenance of their friendly relations. Fortunately, both China and India have adopted a practical and flexible policy. On the one hand, both are making great efforts to resolve these problems and differences through various dialogues and mechanisms; on the other hand, both agree that problems and differences should not become impediments to the development of their friendly relations and that the further development of the friendly relations will create more favourable conditions for the ultimate resolution of those problems and differences. This shows that Sino-Indian relations have become more mature and are in sharp contrast to the emotional approach adopted in the early 1960s when both sides drastically deviated from the path of friendship owing to their differences on the boundary question. This maturity will be an important factor in stabilising the relations between the two countries.
The boundary question between China and India is the most important issue in their bilateral relations and has always been a challenge to the wisdom of the leaders of both countries. The signing of the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control on the China-India Border Areas in 1993 and the Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the Line of Actual Control on the India-China Border Areas in 1996 has shown that both sides have adopted a wise two-step approach on the boundary question. The first step is to ensure peace and tranquillity along the LOC for a long period and the second step is to realise the final settlement when conditions are mature. The first step has been successful and peace already exists along the LOC for a number of years. Work on jointly checking and determining the LOC has made good progress and can be further accelerated. Through a number of confidence-building measures, the two agreements mentioned above have also served as a new model of security in Asia. As regards the final settlement of the boundary question, explorations can be made on the basis of the principle of mutual understanding, accommodation and adjustment, as already agreed upon by both sides. Since China has settled the boundary question with nearly all its neighbours except India, there is no reason why the Sino-Indian boundary question cannot be resolved. It is expected that leaders of both countries will make a historic decision on the final settlement when conditions are mature in both countries.
Both China and India have a number of ethnic minorities. Owing to historical reasons, there has been ethnic estrangement in different degrees in both countries, sometimes leading to separatist movements. It is certainly in conformity with the common interest of China and India to refrain from supporting these movements in each other's country. On the question of Tibet, the Chinese side has expressed concern about the continued activities in India by some Tibetans against their motherland. India has reaffirmed that it does not allow Tibetans to engage in anti-China political activities in India. It is expected that with greater effort by India to fulfil its commitment, the differences between China and India on the question of Tibet have been gradually diluted. On the question of Sikkim, China has adopted a flexible attitude and it is expected that the differences between the two countries on this question will be resolved in an appropriate way. Though there are still differences between China and India on the latter, the nuclear issue has been delinked from bilateral relations in recent years.
India has expressed its concern on the development of relations between China and Pakistan, especially with regard to China's arms sales to Pakistan. It is true that when there was confrontation between China and India over the boundary question in the past, the India factor played an important role in the improvement of relations between China and Pakistan. However, with the normalisation and improvement of relations between China and India, the India factor has been dropped from China's relations with Pakistan. In recent years, China has adopted a separate policy in its relations with India and Pakistan. China's relations with either India or Pakistan are not directed against any third country or at the expense of interest of any third country. For this purpose, China has made a number of readjustments. Despite the removal of the India factor, China has maintained its traditional friendly relations with Pakistan. Likewise, China has improved its relations with India because of India's own importance to China. China is also in favour of improving relations between India and Pakistan. China's stand on the Kashmir question was clearly explained by Chairman Li Ruihuan during his visit to India in 1993. He pointed out to Indian journalists that both India and Pakistan were China's neighbours and friends and China sincerely hoped that India and Pakistan could settle this problem in an appropriate manner through peaceful negotiation. He said that it was natural that China had her concerns which were expressed through repeated, detailed and precise statement of China's wishes and views. However, China's role was limited because the final settlement of the problem would depend on the efforts of the relevant sides.
As regards China's arms sales to Pakistan, Vice Premier Qian Qichen once pointed out that China had always adopted a responsible attitude on the question of arms sales which were only a small part of the world arms market. He said that China's arms sales to any specific part of the world would not affect its peace and stability.
Regional Peace And Security: Non-Alignment Imperative
It may be recalled that during the Cold War, the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union adversely affected South Asia. This rivalry was inextricably linked with the confrontation between India and Pakistan resulting in a great deal of tension in the region. China was also heavily involved in the regional conflict. The history of the Cold War has shown that if a major outside power tries to form an alliance in a region, it will certainly cause apprehension and reaction from other major outside powers leading to tension.
It is certainly very conducive to peace in South Asia that in the decade after the Cold War, there has been no attempt by any major outside power to form new alliances in the region. China and India, through their non-participation in any military alliance, their rejection of stationing of any foreign troops or the establishment of any foreign military base on their soil, have together contributed towards creating a vast peace region in the Asian continent, and if this is continued, it will be a very important contribution towards peace in Asia as well as the world in the new century.
Conclusion
In general, the prospect for Sino-Indian relations in the new century is good and bright. As long as both countries adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and continue to develop mutual cooperation and trust, their friendly relations will be further developed and strengthened. In order to reduce the possibility of any setback in the relations, legitimate interest and concern of either side needs to be kept in mind when the other side takes important steps on sensitive questions. It is hoped that China and India, through their friendly cooperation, could work towards a better future for their countries.