Should India and China Come Together?

The three factors that compel India and China to come together ... the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, trade and soft power. Analysis of mild bhaumik.

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The relationship between India and China has always been 'sometimes pass-sometimes-away'. One of the reasons is the lack of geographical, historical and cultural coherence. Given globalization and the growing need for reciprocity over the past few years, this tension sometimes seems to ease. All in all, the Indo-China leader should be called 'complicated'. But the three factors that compel these two countries to come together are clearly visible. These are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's Sustainable Development Goals 2015), trade and soft power.

India and China took a leap towards development at about the same time. At the same time, these countries are facing increasing urbanization, steady growth in commodities and windfall damage to nature. The new political system in both countries also emerged at about the same time. But the political, geographical and economic conditions in both countries have perpetuated a climate of mistrust between India and China. It also increased the tension. The military arms race between the two has also continued. While all this is true, the two countries need to come together to maintain peace in Asia.

It is imperative to consider the factors that can connect these two countries. The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations are binding on both. In this regard, the two countries can cooperate with each other. In terms of White Development Goals (SDGs), India-China exchanges could take place in the following areas.

SDG 2 (Appetite Elimination) - Some restrictions and inconsistencies in the global agricultural products market can be removed.

SDG 3 (Good Health) - Essential medicines and vaccines can be supplied at reasonable prices in accordance with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Declaration in Doha for developing countries.

SDG 14 (Eternal Ocean) - WTO fishing subsidy regulations will curb illegal and unrestricted fishing at sea.

SDG 17 (Partnership for Sustainable Development) - We can formulate a global, regulated, inclusive, equitable and mutually acceptable trade policy that allows both countries to have a permanent opportunity to trade with each other in a timely manner, duty free and quota free.

If both the countries work diligently for the fulfillment of these goals, then the welfare of both the countries as well as the world will be ensured. An important point that can connect the two countries after these goals is international trade. This will give impetus to developing countries in international fora like WTO and BRICS and write a new chapter of mutual development.

According to Contemporary Growth Theories, which define economic and social development, information and technology play an important role in the overall economic development of any country if it is to survive in today's global market. Today, India and China in particular are expanding their trade in areas such as machinery and pharmaceuticals. Despite the strained political relations between India and China, trade between the two countries has reached a historic high of ८ 84 billion in 2017-18.

Chinese companies are expanding their investments in the five eastern states of India - West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Orissa. The two countries hope that, in this way, as mutual trade and investment continue to grow, they will be able to work together to resolve some of the key sensitive issues between the two countries.

But at the same time, the gap in India-China trade is huge. Exports from China to India are almost double India's exports to China. India is demanding that Indian companies gain access to China's information and technology sector and pharmaceuticals. Exports from China to India have now reached about अ 63 billion. But China's foreign investment in India is still only ५ 5 billion. Even more important than this difference in trade is the effect that imports from China to India will have on the prices of goods in the local market. If the two countries increase their cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and similar technologies, it can benefit both of them.

The third and most important issue, along with sustainable development goals and trade, is soft power. Both these countries are inheritors of ancient cultures. Although the two countries have helped each other to pass on this legacy to the world, the two countries can forge new ties with each other.

John Arcilla, an American thinker who studies international relations, sums up the importance of the concept of soft power in modern times: The City of Portland in the United States, Facebook Company and USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) have jointly compiled The Soft Power 30 (2018), a list of 30 countries that fit into the Soft Power concept. It is graded based on criteria such as level of education, government, culture, expansion of information technology, business facilities and progress in trade. Both India and China do not appear to be prominent in the rankings and their rankings have not improved much in the last few years.

That is why if both the countries want to stand out in the concept of soft power, they need to work together through developmental transformation. Principles of development, democracy, civility and harmony are very important among the citizens of both India and China. If these citizens come closer to each other, better social and economic convergence will be seen.

India's Tourism Minister K.J. According to Alfonso, the number of Chinese tourists visiting India in 2015 was 2,06,322. It reached 2,51,313 in 2016 (which is only 2.65 per cent of the total number of foreign tourists that year), while in 2017 it was slightly lower at 2,25,482. In fact, given the e-visa facility, government promotions and the growth of our tourist destinations, the number of Chinese tourists is not that large. In contrast, 1.4 million tourists from India have visited China this year. Given the ancient ties between the two countries and their relationship with Buddhism, the cultural bond between the two countries is strong and has now been enhanced by the Indian media. Bollywood movies have gained good popularity in China. These threads also complement the tourism sector.

Buddhism, which originated in India in ancient times, spread from North to Central Asia and moved to China in the first century AD. And the same thread is seen playing an important role in the political relations between the two countries. This led to a "Panchsheel Agreement" between the two countries on the issue of peaceful coexistence. Surprisingly, this may be due to the lack of growth in local cinema in China, but when "Dangal" was released in China, it earned twice as much in China as in India.

Without compromising the sovereignty and integrity of both the countries, if the transport routes are opened in accordance with international standards, the two countries can grow closer. For example Kolkata - Kunming bullet train project. In which capital investment can be raised in collaboration with the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) or the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its member nations.

India and China have not met for 30 years before 1988, but over the past three-and-a-half years, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping have met. Similarly, various ministers of the two countries, national security advisers, trade delegations and scholars have been meeting at the level of cooperation. But a big leap forward in this regard requires policy changes and mutual trust. Considering the world of the 21st century, it is in the interest of both India and China.