Todd Bishop
The eleventh meeting of BRICS leaders was held in Brazil from November 13th to 14th. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met at the meeting. This is the meeting between the leaders of the two countries after Xi Jinping’s informal meeting with Modi in October.
Xi Jinping said, “The year 2020 is coming, I hope that China-India relations will achieve new and greater development in the new year. I welcome you to meet again in China next year.” Modi said, “I look forward to continuing to maintain close contacts with you, properly manage differences, lead the relations between the two countries to achieve more results, and continue to move to new heights.”
At the recent ASEAN summit, India announced its withdrawal from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) negotiations; the 8th India-China Business Forum was scheduled to be held in Delhi, India on November 13th, because Chinese participants did not receive India. The visa was postponed; the Hindustan Times quoted a source on November 13 as saying that at least five Chinese delegations were unable to visit India as scheduled due to visa issues. In a series of unfavorable news of Sino-Indian relations, Xi Jinping It is very rare to have a friendly atmosphere with Modi’s meeting.
This is not the first time that the leaders of China and India have overcome the difficulties and shake hands. More than a month ago, on October 11, Modi prepared a grand welcome ceremony for Xi Jinping in Chennai, India. The meeting was not interfered by India’s cancellation of the Indian-controlled Kashmir autonomy, nor was it affected by the border military exercise being held during the same period.
From the first informal meeting of leaders of China and India in 2018 to the second informal meeting of leaders of China and India in 2019, the leaders of China and India are eager to change the situation of the two countries’ confrontation and face each other with a true vision of the great powers.
After all, the world pattern is changing and the world economic order is being adjusted. China is the second largest economy in the world today. In 2017, India’s GDP exceeded 2.597 trillion US dollars, surpassing France’s 2.582 trillion US dollars, becoming the world’s sixth largest economy. Indians are full of confidence, and their slogan is to surpass China in 2030 to become the world’s second, and to become the world’s number one in 2035. Imagine what kind of Sino-Russian relations will be in the future. What kind of Sino-Indian relations does China expect?
What can be determined is the multi-polar world. Any excessive or close relationship between any two parties will trigger a series of chain reactions. If there is a problem with the relationship between China and India, it will be affected by the rearrangement of the top five forces in the world.
In the game against the United States, India may not be a friend of China, but it must not develop into an enemy of China. When Xi Jinping repeatedly talked about “working together to realize the great rejuvenation of the two great civilizations of China and India”, “China and India shoulder more and more important responsibilities in maintaining global stability and promoting development.” This is actually looking at India from the perspective of a global power. of. This is China’s recognition of India’s status as a big country.
For India, Modi has remained neutral in the United States when it has repeatedly embraced India’s participation in the Indo-Pacific strategy. But regardless of whether or not to control the border dispute with Beijing, it will create a practical strategic effect of uniting the United States against China.
What India is doing under Modi is to do a big and powerful country. The establishment of this great power depends on the development of India, not on the United States or against China. As an emerging country, India’s urgently needed international rights have not yet been met, not because of China, but because of the old international political and economic order dominated by the United States. Therefore, China and India share common interests in gaining new development space and international power. After India has positioned itself as a global power, there is no reason to enemies for itself, and there is no need to continue to entangle disputes with China. The consideration of cooperation between China and India has overwhelmed the need for struggle.
The position of the leaders of China and India to re-adjust relations between the two countries is a product of changes in the global pattern. In a nutshell, the world has changed, both China and India have changed, so China-India relations must change.
This is not because the territorial issue between China and India has been resolved, nor because the strategic competition between China and India in South Asia has ceased to exist. Moreover, the economic interests between China and India have been bridged, and between China and India. The specific problems have not been resolved, and it is possible to continue to ferment in the future. The only difference is that China and India have changed their perspectives and the times have changed. Therefore, the position and importance of the contradictions between China and India have changed in Sino-Indian relations.
One side is one after another, and the other is the political friendly declaration of the leaders of the two countries. This is the status quo of China-India relations today. This politically-led relationship has begun to embark on a new journey under the strategic planning of the leaders of the two countries. It is foreseeable that this transition will inevitably encounter many obstacles in the future.
Along with the strengthening of the country’s strength, both China and India have greatly improved national self-esteem and self-confidence, and nationalist sentiment is also a very powerful existence. How to lead bilateral relations to maintain a rational development is a challenge for both Xi Jinping and Modi.
Especially for Modi, the pressure is even greater. India’s domestic hard-hitting voice is even higher. Whether it is withdrawing from RCEP or border military exercise, or canceling the China-India Business Forum, it is a unilateral move by India. China’s ability to continue to be friendly to India is enough to illustrate the strategic strength and vision of Chinese leaders. China is using great patience to prevent India from becoming the second troublemaker.
