A China-India Partnership, Its Vast Global Potential

Relevance: GS2 - India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

(Source: The Hindu, 10/30/2023)

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Why in the news?

• This article discusses the need for a cooperative or shared approach to tackle the various challenges to peace, development, security, and governance emerging across the globe.
• India and China are both ancient Asian civilizations that share common thoughts on the future and destiny of mankind, which can be used to develop synergies between the two countries in order to achieve lasting peace and development.

Is there an opportunity for an India-China partnership?

• India and China share numerous synergies on the future of mankind due to the similarities in their civilizational heritage.
• For example, India developed the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means “the world is one family” in Sanskrit.
  • It is based on the interconnected nature of the world and advocates that all people are part of a single global family.
  • It was also used as the theme of the G20 summit held in New Delhi in September 2023.
• Similarly, China has proposed a vision of a fair and just world for the common good.
• Therefore, India and China, which are the two largest developing countries and emerging market economies, must accept the responsibility and the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the world through their civilizational heritage.
  • This responsibility is further enforced by the fact that the two countries, each with more than a billion people, account for more than 35% of the global population.
  • Moreover, the two countries are at similarly crucial stages of development and revitalization.

Panchsheel: Example of India-China cooperation

• The Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India,1954 first enunciated the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence or Panchsheel, which identify the basic norms governing international relations.
  • Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,
  • Mutual non-aggression,
  • Mutual non-interference,
  • Equality and mutual benefit, and
  • Peaceful co-existence.
• While India saw the Panchsheel principles as a chance to publicize its anti-colonial stance while China saw it as a means of Asian cooperation.
• The Panchsheel Agreement is widely accepted as a foundation for a just and equitable world order which is in line with the spirit of the United Nations Charter and the interests of developing countries.
• However, China has repeatedly exploited this situation to strike India and Panchsheel has not been renewed after its initial expiry.

What has China proposed?

• Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to build a global community of a shared future.
• The recently published white paper titled “A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Actions” outlined a framework of actions for the shared future over the past decade.
  • Develop greater synergy in order to ensure lasting peace
  • Create a conducive environment for common security
  • Build confidence in common development
  • Enable sustainability-driven mutual learning between civilizations
  • Adopt steps to protect the ecology.
• This vision of a shared global community has also been reflected in multilateral fora in the form of resolutions and declarations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), BRICS, and the United Nations General Assembly.
• This approach has won support among the international community, particularly the developing countries.

What are the key points of the vision?

• Economic globalization: Develop an open world economy reflecting the demands and interests of developing countries through a joint approach.
  • It rejects principles such as unilateralism, protectionism, decoupling, and the zero-sum game.
• Peaceful development: Countries must work together in pursuit of peace and attempt to safeguard and share peace so that they can achieve their development goals.
  • Peace, development, cooperation, and win-win are the highlights of the present approach while old strategies like colonialism and hegemonism will not enable them to contribute to the development of the world.
• Foster new international relations: By building a global community of a shared future, both emerging and established countries can identify common ground for development despite their different civilizations and social systems.
  • This will help them avoid the Thucydides trap i.e the tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
  • Broader and deeper partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation can be forged by upholding the principles of mutual respect, equity, justice, and mutually beneficial cooperation.
• Practice true multilateralism: It advocates against the building of cliques and bloc politics in the name of multilateralism.
  • It condemns selective multilateralism and unilateral thinking which are not fair and free.
  • It recommends the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter governing all international relations.
• Promote common values: Countries should promote and spread common values such as peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom of humanity.
  • No single model of democracy is universally applicable or superior.
  • It is necessary to therefore promote common values of humanity while recognizing the differences and diversity of civilisations and respecting the right of all countries to independently choose their social systems and development paths.

What are China’s contributions?

• China has contributed to building a global community of a shared future through numerous initiatives over the past decade such as the:
  • Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): It is a strategy launched by China to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and sea networks to improve regional integration and stimulate economic growth.
  • Global Development Initiative: It was launched in 2021 to raise awareness about the threats to achieving the SDGs and re-prioritize and renew global commitments.
  • Global Security Initiative: It was launched in 2022 by China to identify areas of cooperation, build an Asian security model, and oppose the destruction of the international order.
  • Global Civilization Initiative: It was proposed in 2023 to build a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation among all countries.
• According to China, these initiatives have helped build a global community of a shared future that aims to provide comprehensive solutions to the challenges confronting humanity.

What are India’s concerns with such a partnership?

• Opposition to BRI: India opposes the Belt and Road Initiative on the grounds of sovereignty and transparency.
  • The BRI project includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a territory that India has claimed.
  • India argues that the project should respect international norms, rule of law, and financial sustainability and not lead to debt traps.
  • Instead, India has promoted other connectivity initiatives like the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), a G7 initiative to fund infrastructure projects in developing countries.
  • India has raised concerns on the environmental and social impacts of the infrastructure development projects under the BRI.
• Ineffectiveness of the GSI: India and like-minded countries like the U.S.A. have claimed that the GSI is not a sustainable, equitable, and transparent solution to the growing insecurity of the world.
  • These countries including India believe in strengthening and preserving the established order instead of upheaving it.
• Deteriorating Bilateral Relationship: India's bilateral relationship with China has worsened due to the border tensions with Indian policymakers emphasizing the need for mutual respect and adherence to agreements in maintaining a positive and constructive relationship with China.
• Contestation on Global Platforms: India’s rivalry with China has evolved into the multilateral stage with the two countries displaying a difference of opinion in multilateral organizations.
• Objection to multilateral reforms: China has opposed India's bid for a permanent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat.
  • This has prompted India to seek alternative platforms to advance its global interests and contribute to the international order.
• Discontent over Chinese maps: In August 2023, China released the 2023 edition of the China standard map including parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory.
  • It also reasserted Chinese territorial claims on Taiwan and other areas of the South China Sea
  • The new map has been criticized by India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan, as well as Chinese allies like Russia and Nepal.

Conclusion

• China and India are natural partners in building a global community of a shared future housing a third of the global population.
• A joint effort between China and India will cement the will of countries of the Global South countries towards building an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful future based on lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of [2016-I]

(a) African Union

(b) Brazil

(c) European Union

(d) China

Question: Which one of the following is not a principle of "Panchsheel"? (UPSC 1997)

(a) Non-alignment

(b) Peaceful Co-existence

(c) Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty

(d) Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs