China and India: when giants merge

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 11/24/2006 12:29 PM  |  Opinion

Ahmad Qisa'i, Aligarh, India

Earlier this week, the two Asian giants India and China were in the mood to move forward together and leave the bitter past behind. Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India, the first visit in almost 10 years by a Chinese president, since the historic visit of president Jiang Zemin in 1997, comes at a time when Indian-Chinese cooperation is at a historic high and the two giants want to assure each other that they are partners, not competitors.

Even though there were no extraordinary breakthroughs during the meeting, there were significant improvements for the two giants in moving forward as partners. The two countries agreed Tuesday in New Delhi to sign a wide range of agreements to improve their bilateral ties in commercial, political and strategic areas.

Commercially, the two countries agreed to double bilateral trade to US$40 billion by 2010, and a task force will be set up to study the feasibility of an India-China regional trade agreement. At the same time, a Chinese consulate will be set up in Kolkata and an Indian one in Guangzhou in order to facilitate people-to-people contacts and business deals.

Border issues, which have in the past been a bone of contention between the two giants, were also addressed and the two countries agreed to settle the issues through special representatives who will accelerate progress toward a deal. And a hot line between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers will soon be set up to help build closer ties and to prevent misunderstandings between the two countries.

Energy cooperation was also on the agenda as the two countries decided to promote civil nuclear cooperation. Against the backdrop of the India-U.S. nuclear agreement, India is hoping that China, a key member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, will help India meet its growing energy needs through nuclear technology. Having secured support from Russia and the U.S. for its nuclear ambitions through civil nuclear cooperation, additional support from China will give India added confidence about being able to satisfy its energy needs in the coming decades through nuclear technology.

However, there are still voices of concern over these positive developments. One such voice is the concern over China's lukewarm response to India's ambitious aspirations for civil nuclear technology to satisfy its energy needs.

According to Bharat Karnad of the Center for Policy Research, the clause about civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries in the joint declaration does not mean that China will facilitate a consensus at the Nuclear Suppliers Group in India's favor (decisions in the NSG are taken through consensus, not by vote).

In fact, according to him, it probably will not: It is a political maneuver by the Chinese in the face of the India-U.S. nuclear deal. China has nothing other than uranium to give India, whereas India can offer China its technology.

On the resolution of the boundary issues, Karnad said that it was mere lip service, adding that the status quo would remain. The statement by the Chinese ambassador to India on the border issues, claiming the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is an integral part of China during an interview on a private TV channel days before the visit, only adds to this skepticism.

Similarly, there are questions over India's candidature for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. China said that it attaches great importance to the status of India in international affairs. It understands and supports India's aspirations to play a greater role in the UN. But -- unlike Britain and France -- China refused to come out openly to support India

So, President Hu's visit to India was significant for India-China bilateral relations. Despite their differences and the reluctance of either side to move on certain issues, India and China have finally begun taking steps to thaw out their decades-old cold relations.

The agreements signed by the two leaders Tuesday show that their differences will not hinder their aspirations to establish a closer partnership for a better future. Even though the ""P-word"" (Pakistan is China's all-weather ally and India's sworn rival in South Asia) will remain a sticking point, a cordial relationship between India and China is of global and strategic significance and there exist bright prospects for their common development. India and China are not rivals or competitors but are partners for mutual benefit.

The writer has a PhD in political science from Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India.

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