Future of India – China relations: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The ongoing debate on India-China relations among the members of strategic and academic community has raised a number of issues including the future prospects and the major challenges confronting the bilateral relationships. The last six decades of India-China relationships have seen more of mutual mistrust and suspicion than friendliness and cordial atmosphere. Such mutual mistrust and suspicion grew over the years and have gone beyond proportions in the current context. The challenge has always been to bridge the differences of opinion from both sides and reach to a common understanding on a number of sensitive issues including Sino-Indian border issues. At the same time, one should not come to the conclusion that both India and China have always been at loggerheads. A series of serious attempts have been made by both India and China to bridge the differences more particularly on the border issue. India and China relations are expanding and deepening despite several divergences on many pertinent issues impacting the bilateral relations. The deepening of relations was reflected when the two countries established the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2005 and also signed A Shared Vision for 21st Century in 2008. Undoubtedly, India and China have emerged as the two rapidly growing economies and their bilateral relationship to a greater extent has assumed global and strategic relevance. It would be important to introspect India – China experience in the past and then explore the mechanisms by which the bilateral cooperation can take a robust shape. The objective of this paper will be to assess and analyze the broad contours of India-China relations and explore the areas on which both the countries can work together on mutual interests. The trajectory of bilateral relationship has many positive as well as negative connotations. It would highlight both the convergences and divergences and then suggest ways by which the existing divergences can be bridged. It would also try and explain the rationale for a robust and constructive engagement.