India and China the two Asian giants between rivalries and

India and China, the two Asian giants between rivalries and interdependencies

Published on: 16/10/2022 – 07:10

Opening the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress, a look back at the relationship between the two Asian giants, India and China. A relationship of interdependence marred by military conflict and commercial and diplomatic rivalries.

From our correspondent in Bangalore,

Even if the two countries were supported by decolonization and could call themselves non-aligned, their relationship was conflicted for a long time. After gaining independence in 1947, India and China failed to agree on their Himalayan borders. This will lead to a war and thousands of deaths in 1962 for control of Aksai Chin, a region of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh that China considers its own. A few years earlier, India had invaded China Tibetbut decided to take in refugees and the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile, a policy that is still in effect and provokes the wrath of Beijing.

Ever since Narendra Modi came to power, several altercations took place, notably in the controversial Galwan Glacial Valley in 2020, where a clash caused the deaths of dozens of soldiers. The situation on the border remains extremely tense and forces on both sides are on alert. India accuses China of building illegal infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh. Finally, alongside the United States, India is also a member of the Indo-Pacific Alliance, which it is de facto and militarily opposed to China on the delicate Taiwan question.

Important interdependence

The rivalry also plays out on a commercial level, as neither of the two nuclear powers wants to go to war. This is how Narendra Modi moved the conflict by banning many applications Chinese, including the very popular TikTok, after the 2020 skirmishes. Since his re-election in 2019, the prime minister has placed his mandate under the banner of Indian self-sufficiency. A slogan that he hammers in all the harder because India is heavily dependent on China, especially for electrical and electronic equipment, raw materials and fertilizers.

In fact, the trade deficit between the two countries has actually increased recently. According to the latest estimates, India imports goods and services worth 77 billion euros more than it exports to China. So, behind the declarations of war, everyone knows that they need each other, especially India.

Regular diplomatic exchanges

Also, the exchange between Narendra Modi, the Indian strongman, and Xi Jinping, the Beijing strongman, is a little less cold than the political beatings and the accusations of the intermediary media suggest. In 2019, Xi Jinping paid a generous state visit to India. In 2021 he took part virtually in the BRICS summit organized in New Delhi. Until Tuesday, October 11, diplomats will regularly exchange views on border disputes and trade issues. With the announced re-election of Xi Jinping, however, there are hardly any illusions in India about a change in Beijing’s position.

However, the situation has changed since the war in Ukraine. India, which refuses to confront Russia, a historic military partner, is included alongside the Chinese when voting on resolutions at the UN. In order not to become isolated, China has an interest in India maintaining this neutrality. So she could make gestures of openness, it remains to be seen which ones.

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