Before talking cooperation, China needs to stop aggression against India

Source– The post is based on the article “Before talking about cooperation, China needs to stop aggression against India” published in the “The Indian Express” on 9th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Bilateral groupings and agreements

News– Recently, China’s top diplomat to India, Ma Jia, wrote that China and India can work together towards the recovery and growth of the world economy (‘A Focus on Common Interests’, IE June 2).

What are the steps needed to be taken by China for improving relations with India?

There is a huge difference between China’s claim to have a peaceful relationship with India and its actions. Beijing should undergo a psychological assessment. It should maintain pragmatism into its South Asia policy.

There is a need to mend ties. Acknowledging India as an indispensable Asian and global power is a starting point for any future cooperation.

Certain good faith measures are needed. It should maintain calm at the borders. It should not undermine India’s relationship with its neighbors in South Asia. Maintaining peace at the borders is the first step towards cooperation.

Moreover, there is no strategic logic for the uninhabitable high grounds that China is trying to capture.

China has built a foreign policy narrative based on a lack of respect from the West. It should treat everyone with respect, especially a rising power like India.

Why does the onus of improving relationships lie more on China?

Indians feel that China’s India policy is driven by dogmas such as the Middle Kingdom and unipolar Asia.

Since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, Sinophiles within the Indian establishment have held the view that China’s frontier aggression is driven by Beijing’s desire to contain India in Asia and the developing world.

China’s dream of a unipolar Asia will never materialise. If Japan was a counterweight in the past, India is the counterweight of the future. Recent macroeconomic forecasts suggest that India’s position is strong in a long run.

What are the impacts of Chinese aggressive moves on its relationship with India?

China’s aggression is pushing India towards military alignment with West. It exacerbates China’s security dilemma with a deepening Indo-US alliance.

India has had more hesitation with the West than it has with China today. However, China’s belligerence is creating a new set of hesitations for China.

When India joined the RCEP negotiations in 2012 and became the second-biggest stakeholder in the AIIB in 2014, it was seen as the start of Asian multilateralism.

New Delhi’s refusals for the RCEP show increasing disenchantment with ideas built on promises of cooperation. The clashes in Galwan changed things forever.