Evolution of China-India Relations: Past, Present, and Future

Context:

Published on April 1, 2025, in The Hindu, this opinion piece by Xu Feihong, China’s Ambassador to India, reflects on 75 years of diplomatic ties between China and India. It traces the historical trajectory, highlights recent developments, and outlines a vision for future cooperation, offering valuable insights into bilateral dynamics amid global shifts, as of April 1, 2025.

Key Points:

• Historical Milestone: In 2025, China and India celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, established in 1950 when India became the first non-socialist country to recognize the People’s Republic of China, a decision shaped by Mao Zedong and Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Leadership Guidance: Over the decades, leaders have navigated critical junctures—Rajiv Gandhi’s 1988 visit normalized ties post-1962 war, while Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi’s “hometown diplomacy” since 2013, including informal summits, spurred rapid growth.
• Recent Progress: The October 2024 meeting in Kazan between Xi and Modi marked a new chapter, stabilizing relations after the 2020 border tensions, with both leaders emphasizing partnership over rivalry.
• Strategic Anchor: The ambassador credits the strategic vision of leaders as the anchor for bilateral ties, steering them through challenges like the 2020 Ladakh standoff toward a cooperative framework.
• Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: Introduced by Zhou Enlai and Nehru in 1954, these principles—mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful coexistence—remain foundational to China-India relations and global diplomacy.
• Healthy Relationship Goals: Both nations are urged to uphold mutual respect, trust, understanding, accommodation, and accomplishment, managing differences via dialogue rather than letting the boundary issue dominate ties.
• Mutual Benefit Focus: As developing nations at critical stages, China and India should align development strategies, leveraging China’s manufacturing prowess and India’s IT and pharmaceutical strengths for mutual economic gains.
• Global South Leadership: Representing 2.8 billion people, their cooperation strengthens the Global South, advocating for multipolarity and inclusive globalization amid a shifting world order.
• Cultural Ties: Over 2,000 years of exchanges—Buddhist monks like Xuanzang, Tagore’s 1924 China visit, and modern cultural initiatives like the Tagore photo exhibition in Shanghai—underscore deep civilizational bonds.
• Economic Potential: Bilateral trade hit $136 billion in 2024, with potential for further growth if India eases restrictions on Chinese investments and visa policies for students and professionals.
• Climate and Multilateral Cooperation: Both nations share stakes in climate action and global governance, collaborating in forums like BRICS and SCO, with Modi expected at the 2025 SCO summit in China.
• Future Vision: The ambassador envisions a “dragon-elephant tango”—a harmonious partnership—as the only viable path, aligning with historical trends and the aspirations of both peoples for peace and prosperity.

Key Terms:

• Diplomatic Ties (1950): Formal relations established between China and India, marking a historic beginning.
• Hometown Diplomacy: Informal leader-level engagements since 2013 to boost China-India relations.
• Kazan Meeting (2024): A pivotal Xi-Modi summit that reset ties post-2020 tensions.
• Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: 1954 framework guiding China-India and international relations.
• Global South: Developing nations collectively represented by China and India’s 2.8 billion population.
• Boundary Question: Unresolved border dispute, notably flared in 2020, to be managed via dialogue.
• BRICS: Multilateral group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) for economic and political cooperation.
• SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation): Eurasian political and security alliance hosting the 2025 summit in China.

Link To The Original Article – https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/china-india-ties-across-the-past-and-into-the-future/article69401052.ece