Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee began a six-day official visit to China yesterday attempting to make a difficult transition from rival to partner.
Vajpayee will be the first Indian prime minister to visit China in more than a decade, and the third to visit after the 1962 border war between the two countries. Former Indian premier PV Narasimha Rao went to China in 1993.
The emergence of the US as the world's sole superpower has made a potential relationship between China and India that much more imperative, analysts say.
A foreign affairs expert said India needs to look to the future.
"Factors like the struggle against American hegemony and the need for a multi-polar world make it imperative that India and China cooperate, learn from each other," he said.
"The Indo-China war of 1962 and China's alleged nuclear cooperation with Pakistan should be viewed as aberrations, and not allowed to impact the vast potential for bilateral relations," he said.
The need to acknowledge a new world order also figured in talks between presidents of the two countries in 2000, with both expressing support for a multi-polar approach, and clear criticism of the US' unilateralism in resolving international conflicts.
The world's two most populous nations, India and China have had a turbulent past marred by decades of distrust. They still continue to claim large areas of territory along the 4,000km border that separates the two.
The border between India and China was never clearly demarcated. War broke out in 1962, after China took over vast stretches of land in the Aksai Chin plateau. India alleges China has illegal land in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
In 1988, India and China established a Joint Working Group to find a solution to the vexed border issue. Analysts say the dispute must be settled before the two countries can improve relations.
India's Defense Minister George Fernandes was in Beijing in April to lay the groundwork for Vajpayee's trip. He said the implementation of confidence-building measures by the armies of both countries indicated a desire to live in peace.
Vajpayee's visit comes at a time when India and Pakistan have taken steps to reduce tensions in the region. Analysts say the nature of relations between China and Pakistan is an important factor in the ties between China and India.
India has alleged that China and Pakistan secretly transfer missile and nuclear technology. China was critical of India's nuclear tests of 1998, and demanded that India "unconditionally" sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In 1996, when Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
When Indian President KR Narayanan visited China four years later he insisted all disputes need to be solved expeditiously and "not left to history again."
While Vajpayee's visit is a positive step, analysts say path-breaking policy changes and the signing of major treaties are unlikely.
An official in India's Ministry of External Affairs said, "One focus will be culture and trade. Discussions on visa rules and cooperation in education, science and technology will also be held."
Over the past few years, India and China have tried to improve relations. Narayanan's May 2000 visit was the first by an Indian president in eight years. It also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Difficult to bury in the past will be India's traditional support to the cause of free Tibet. During Narayanan's visit, Jiang raised the issue of the Dalai Lama's presence in India and the fear of anti-Chinese forces carrying out a campaign against Beijing.
Narayanan said India considered Tibet an autonomous region of China and would not permit Tibet's government-in-exile led by the Dalai Lama to indulge in any political activity detrimental to India's interests. The Dalai Lama is based in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
One observer said, "China is crucial to India's interests because of its importance in the world as a great and ancient civilization as well as a global power. You could also say that India is envious of China's diplomatic and economic achievements. There is a lot to gain from engaging China."
Vajpayee will be accompanied by a large business delegation. An agreement on promoting trade and investment is being finalized to boost the current bilateral trade of US$5.5 billion.
Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley and Information Technology and Communications Minister Arun Shourie are part of the entourage.
There may be scepticism on both sides of the border, but the fact the two countries are meeting despite a tumultuous past is seen as a positive sign.
Three years ago Jiang repeated a Chinese saying when he met the Indian president: "Scale high and look ahead." This he said, should determine relations between the two nations.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath