India China
On October 1, 1949 the People’s
Liberation Army defeated the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) of China in a civil
war and established the People's Republic of China. On August 15, 1947, India
became an independent dominion under British Commonwealth and became a federal,
democratic republic after its constitution came into effect on January 26,
1950.
Jawaharlal Nehru based his vision of
"resurgent Asia" on friendship
between the two largest states of Asia; his vision of an internationalist
foreign policy governed by the ethics of the Panchsheel,
which he initially believed was shared by China, came to grief when it became
clear that the two countries had a conflict of interest in Tibet, which had
traditionally served as a geographical and political buffer zone, and where
India believed it had inherited special privileges from the British Raj.
Panchsheel?
The Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel Treaty are a set of
principles to govern relations between states. Their first formal codification
in treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954. They were
enunciated in the preamble to the "Agreement (with exchange of notes) on
trade and intercourse between Tibet Region of China and India", which was
signed at Peking on 29 April 1954. This agreement stated the five principles
as:
- Mutual respect for each others territorial integrity and sovereignty,
- Mutual non-aggression,
- Mutual non-interference in each others internal affairs,
- Equality and mutual benefit, and
- Peaceful co-existence.
However, the initial focus of the
leaders of both the nations was not the foreign policy, but the internal
development of their respective states. When they did concentrate on the
foreign policies, their concern wasn’t one another, but rather the United
States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the alliance
systems which were dominated by the two superpowers
India–China relations, also called India-Sino relations or Indo-China
relations, refers to the bilateral relationship between the People's
Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of India. Historically, India and China have had relations for more
than 2,000 years but modern relationship began in 1950 when India was among the
first countries to end formal ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan) and
recognize the PRC as the legitimate government of Mainland China. China and
India are two most populous countries and fastest growing major economies in
the world. The resultant growth in China and India's international diplomatic
and economic influence has also increased the significance of their bilateral
relationship.
China and India are two of the
world’s oldest civilizations and have co-existed in peace for millenniums.
Cultural and economic relations between China and India date back to ancient
times. The Silk Road not only served as a major trade route
between India and China, but is also credited for facilitating the spread of
Buddhism from India to East Asia. During the 19th century, China's growing
opium trade with the British Raj triggered
the Opium Wars. During World War II, India and China played a crucial role in halting the progress
of Imperial Japan.
Relations
between contemporary China and India have been characterised by border
disputes, resulting in three major military conflicts — the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Chola incident in 1967, and the 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish.
It is the popular perception that
the catch phrase of India's diplomacy with China in the 1950s was Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai,
which means, in Hindi, "Indians and Chinese are brothers", but as the
time passed the phrase lost its meaning….
Problem started…
In January 1959, PRC premier Zhou
Enlai wrote to Nehru, rejecting Nehru's contention that the border was based on
treaty and custom and pointing out that no government in China had accepted as
legal the McMahon Line, which in
the 1914 Simla Convention
defined the eastern section of the border between India and Tibet. The Dalai Lama, spiritual and temporal head of the Tibetan people, sought
sanctuary in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh, in March 1959, and thousands of
Tibetan refugees settled in northwestern India, particularly in Himachal Pradesh.
The People's Republic of China accused India of expansionism and imperialism in
Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region. China claimed 104,000 km² of
territory over which India's maps showed clear sovereignty, and demanded
"rectification" of the entire border.
McMahon
Line?
The McMahon Line is a line
agreed to by Britain and Tibet as part of the Simla Accord, a treaty signed in
1914. It is the effective boundary between China and India, although its legal
status is disputed by the Chinese government.
Zhou proposed that China relinquish
its claim to most of India's northeast in exchange for India's abandonment of
its claim to Aksai Chin. The Indian government, constrained by domestic public
opinion, rejected the idea of a settlement based on uncompensated loss of
territory as being humiliating and unequal.
However, since the late 1980s, both
countries have successfully attempted to reignite diplomatic and economic ties.
In 2008, China emerged as India's largest trading partner and the two countries
have also attempted to extend their strategic and military relations. Despite
growing economic and strategic ties, there are several hurdles for India and
the PRC to overcome in order to establish favourable relations. Though
bilateral trade has continuously grown, India faces massive trade imbalance
heavily in favour of China. The two countries have failed to resolve
their long-standing border dispute and Indian media outlets have repeatedly
reported Chinese military incursions into Indian territory.
Both nations have steadily
established heavy military infrastructure along border areas. Additionally,
India remains wary about China's strong strategic relations with Pakistan while
China has expressed concerns about Indian military and economic activities in
the disputed Sea. In June 2012, China stated its position that
"Sino-Indian ties" could be the most "important bilateral
partnership of the century".
That month Wen Jiabao, the Premier of China and Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India
set a goal to increase bilateral trade between the two countries to US$100
billion by 2015.
* According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 36% of Indians
view China positively, with 27% expressing a negative view, whereas 23% of
Chinese people view India positively, with 45% expressing a negative view.
Sino-Indian
War:
In
1962 Border disputes resulted in a short border war between the People's
Republic of China and India in 20 October 1962. The PRC pushed the unprepared
and inadequately led Indian forces to within forty-eight kilometres of the
Assam plains in the northeast and occupied strategic points in Ladakh, until
the PRC declared a unilateral cease-fire on 21 November and withdrew twenty
kilometers behind its contended line of control.
|
The 1967 Sino-Indian skirmish also known
as the Chola incident, was a military conflict between Indian troops and
members of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army in Sikkim, who had
infiltrated the area on 1 October. On 10 October, once again both sides had
the conflict, the Defence Minister of India, Sardar Swaran Singh addressed that government
is looking after the developments across the borders. During whole conflict
Indian losses were 88 killed, and 163 wounded, while Chinese casualties were
300 killed and 450 wounded in Nathula, and 40 in Chola. The end of the battle saw the
People's Liberation Army retreat from Sikkim.
|
| The 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish was the third military conflict between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Indian Army that occurred at Sumdorong Chu Valley, with the previous one taking place almost a quarter of a century earlier. |
In April 2011,
during the BRICS summit in Sanya, Hainan, China
the two countries agreed to restore defence co-operation and China had hinted
that it may reverse its policy of administering stapled visas to residents of
Jammu and Kashmir. This practice was later stopped, and as a result, defence
ties were resumed between the two nations and joint military drills were expected.
In the 2012 BRICS
summit in New Delhi, India, Chinese
President Hu Jintao told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that "it is China's unswerving policy to develop
Sino-Indian friendship, deepen strategic cooperation and seek common
development" and "China hopes to see a peaceful, prosperous and
continually developing India and is committed to building more dynamic
China-India relationship". Other topics were discussed, including border
dispute problems and a unified BRICS central bank.
In response to India's test of a
missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Beijing, the PRC called for
the two countries to "cherish the hard-earned momentum of
co-operation".
A three-week standoff between Indian
and Chinese troops in close proximity to each other and the Line of Actual Control
between Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region and Aksai Chin was defused on 5 May 2013, days before a trip by Indian
Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to China; Khurshid said that both countries
had a shared interest in not having the border issue exacerbate or
"destroy" long-term progress in relations. The Chinese agreed to
withdraw their troops in exchange for an Indian agreement to demolish several
"live-in bunkers" 250 km to the south in the disputed Chumar
sector.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made his first foreign visit to India on 18 May 2013 in a
bid to resolve border disputes and to stimulate economic relations. According
to Mr. Li, there were three main reasons for his visit. First was to increase diplomatic co-operation. Second was to cement
relations in trade and other areas and finally to formulate strategy for common
prosperous future
PM
Manmohan Singh Visit to China! (23-10-2013).
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a meeting in
Beijing(23-10-2013).
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
outlined a new vision for the future of ties with China, detailing "seven
practical principles of engagement" that called for greater sensitivity to
core issues such as the boundary question and trans-border rivers.
Dr. Singh in his speech highlighted
India's specific concerns over the boundary
issue - particularly in the wake of April's three-week face-off
following a Chinese incursion in Depsang, Ladakh - and on the management of trans-boundary rivers, such as
the Brahmaputra, as two key areas that would determine the future course of
relations.
* Under the new agreement, the
Chinese side agreed to provide more flood data of Brahmaputra river from May to
October instead of June to October that was in vogue under the previous
agreements river water agreements in 2008 and 2010.
The five other "principles of
engagement" outlined by the Prime Minister were:
Ø Greater sensitivity to each
other's core concerns;
Ø "a spirit of
transparency" to eliminate misunderstandings on issues concerning the
region and periphery.
Ø Greater policy coordination
on global matters to increase strategic trust.
Ø Taking forward economic ties
and
Ø Widening people-to-people
contact.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang after a joint statement at the Great
Hall of the People in Beijing
v China’s biggest power
companies have, for the first time, agreed to set up a permanent
presence in India by opening power equipment service centres to address concerns
of their increasingly large customer base, according to an agreement signed by
the two governments
v
Other agreements signed on included an MoU between the two Ministries of Transport to co-operate in the
roads sector, and exchange ideas on transport policy and transport technology,
as well as ‘sister cities’ agreements between New Delhi and Beijing, Kunming
and Kolkata, and Chengdu and Bengaluru aimed at boosting tourism.
v
A joint statement issued on same day said both countries would also explore the
feasibility of taking forward a Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic
corridor — an initiative that the Chinese side has been pushing since Mr. Li’s
May visit to India.
- v The side also signed agreements to strengthen cultural exchange programme, Cooperation in Road Transport and Highways, Chinese power equipment service centres in India and agreements to establishing sister city relationships between Delhi-Beijing and Bangalore and Chengdu and Kolkata and Kunming.
Visa
simplification(Pending issue)
Dr.
Singh said he also conveyed his “commitment to visa simplification to
facilitate travel of Chinese nationals to India”, and “expressed hope that
China will also facilitate such exchanges.” An agreement to liberalise the
visa regime was delayed, officials said, with India viewing the timing as
unsuitable after China recently issued stapled visas to two archers from
Arunachal Pradesh.
|
- *India and China on Wednesday signed a new agreement to strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers that is aimed at allaying India’s concerns over new dams on the Brahmaputra and facilitating the exchange of flood data.
- *India and China inked several agreements on establishment of Nalanda University at Rajgir in Bihar for which China is one of the participating countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment