SS: Ask an indian diplomat about relations with China and they will repeat a well-rehearsed mantra: there can be no return to normality until peace is restored on their disputed Himalayan border. That has been the official line for most of the time since 2020, when a deadly clash occurred there between Indian and Chinese troops. On the face of it, India’s stance is a rejection of China’s suggestion that the two countries should set aside the dispute, which has pushed India closer to America, and focus on areas of mutual interest.
Relations are indeed still far from their pre-2020 normality. And they are unlikely to return to it soon. Even so, there has been a quiet yet notable shift in recent months towards a new phase of relations defined by border stability and closer commercial ties. The shift reflects India’s urgent need for Chinese technology, investment and expertise to meet its immediate industrial needs. It is also based on China’s mounting concern about its own economy and escalating trade barriers worldwide.
Paywall’d
what im going to say is kind of reductive, but it does depend on no small part how xi and modi personally view each other, which is why the former didnt attend last year’s g20 and the latter didnt attend this year’s sco
China needs to retreat from Ladakh for a start
Paywalled. I think what the Economist is suggesting is that because the volume of trade is so large and a lot of it increasingly includes tech, along with China’s fear of trade barriers from Western countries, it makes sense for the two countries to move closer.
What has happened in reality in the last 10 years, is that China, not Pakistan is now recognized as India’s principal adversary. Pakistan’s state sponsored terrorism against India, has been facilitated by Chinese support. China has also directly armed insurgent groups in India. The line of control with Pakistan used to be a hot border. There has been a ceasefire along this line since 2021, whereas the border with China is now more likely to have an armed clash taking place.
India is uncomfortable with the large trade deficit with China, though there is not much that can be done about it.
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[Non-paywalled link](https://archive.ph/Mja9y)
SS: Ask an indian diplomat about relations with China and they will repeat a well-rehearsed mantra: there can be no return to normality until peace is restored on their disputed Himalayan border. That has been the official line for most of the time since 2020, when a deadly clash occurred there between Indian and Chinese troops. On the face of it, India’s stance is a rejection of China’s suggestion that the two countries should set aside the dispute, which has pushed India closer to America, and focus on areas of mutual interest.
Relations are indeed still far from their pre-2020 normality. And they are unlikely to return to it soon. Even so, there has been a quiet yet notable shift in recent months towards a new phase of relations defined by border stability and closer commercial ties. The shift reflects India’s urgent need for Chinese technology, investment and expertise to meet its immediate industrial needs. It is also based on China’s mounting concern about its own economy and escalating trade barriers worldwide.
Paywall’d
what im going to say is kind of reductive, but it does depend on no small part how xi and modi personally view each other, which is why the former didnt attend last year’s g20 and the latter didnt attend this year’s sco
China needs to retreat from Ladakh for a start
Paywalled. I think what the Economist is suggesting is that because the volume of trade is so large and a lot of it increasingly includes tech, along with China’s fear of trade barriers from Western countries, it makes sense for the two countries to move closer.
What has happened in reality in the last 10 years, is that China, not Pakistan is now recognized as India’s principal adversary. Pakistan’s state sponsored terrorism against India, has been facilitated by Chinese support. China has also directly armed insurgent groups in India. The line of control with Pakistan used to be a hot border. There has been a ceasefire along this line since 2021, whereas the border with China is now more likely to have an armed clash taking place.
India is uncomfortable with the large trade deficit with China, though there is not much that can be done about it.