The foreign ministers of India and China have recently met amid the tension that has been going on for the last several years. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Laos on July 25. During this meeting, both the leaders agreed to resolve the border dispute as soon as possible. On the meeting of the two ministers, China’s official newspaper Global Times has written that this change shows that both sides have understood the need to further improve mutual trust.
Global Times has published an article in which it is written that change in relations between the two countries is necessary for global geopolitics. The article said, ‘India-China relationship is a complex mixture of cooperation and competition. Both countries have recognized the benefits of economic cooperation and have made significant progress in recent years to strengthen trade and investment. China is India’s biggest trading partner and China’s exports to India have increased very rapidly in recent years.
The Chinese newspaper wrote that both the countries are economically dependent on each other, yet there is intense competition and strategic competition in the relations between the two countries. The biggest obstacle to further strengthening cooperation between India and China is the lack of trust that has developed over the last few years.
‘India is thinking of replacing China but…’
Global Times writes that there is a long history of border disputes between India and China which has affected bilateral relations. Apart from this, China’s increasing influence in the Indian Ocean and India’s neighboring countries remains a matter of concern for India. India is in a challenging situation.
Global Times further wrote, ‘India wants to benefit from China’s economic development and investment and also wants to increase the purchase of raw materials, machinery, equipment etc. from China, yet India remains conscious of its national sentiments, China’s strategic objectives and national security. But due to misunderstandings about the impact, China is imposing more restrictions on investment. Meanwhile, India is also thinking of replacing China in the field of manufacturing. However, this is not going to happen in the future.
‘India is maintaining balance to reduce China’s influence’
Global Times further writes that India has become a member of Quad along with America, Japan and Australia, which shows that it is creating a balance to reduce China’s influence in the region.
Suggesting measures to build trust in the relations between the two countries, the newspaper wrote, ‘First of all we need to establish trust by resolving the border dispute. There is a need to create a communication channel so that misunderstandings can be removed. The second thing we have to do is to make more and more trade and investment agreements so that economic cooperation can be strengthened.
Global Times further wrote that it is important to understand that the strategic relations of the two sides should not be overly influenced by America’s strategic approach towards China.