China game for trilateral parleys with India, US

The idea of a G3 was conceived on Saturday with New Delhi and Beijing supporting a proposal to start a trilateral dialogue mechanism between India, the United States and China.

The idea, mooted at the national conference, “Shaping the 21st Century: India, the US and China”, organised by Deccan Herald, was received well by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh and Chinese Ambassador Le Yucheng.

“I think it is a good idea. If it betters the relationship, why not? China is open to any dialogue if it is conducive to peace and development of the country,” the ambassador said.

Singh supported the idea and said such a proposal would enhance cooperation between the three countries, which have strong bilateral ties with each other. “There are issues which all the three need to look at because of the size of their economies, demography and common interest. If you have a trilateral dialogue, I think it will only further the type of interests we are seeking,” Singh said.

The remarks came as former Union minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh suggested the need for a trilateral mechanism between the three countries.

Ramesh said the idea of a dialogue is to ensure difficult result, not needless confrontation. He called for an institutionalised mechanism to further their partnership to deal with a variety of issues, including climate change, terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation.

India has two trilateral dialogue mechanisms—one with Russia and China and another with Japan and the US. The idea garnered support before President Barack Obama is slated to visit India next month.

Singh felt that the US is the only superpower at present and it would retain the status for the next two decades. He said it remained to be seen how the world order evolved after that.

During their addresses at the inaugural session, both Singh and Yucheng agreed that India and China “have a strong economic and trade relationship,” and the boundary issue should be resolved mutually.

“Once trade, economic, business and exploitation of market picks up, I think, the border issue will get automatically solved,” Singh said.

Yucheng said he was “very optimistic” about the “future” of India and China. He also spoke about the trade imbalance with India, and said China was opening up its market for Indian firms in many areas to find a solution to the issue.

K N Tilak Kumar, Editor, Deccan Herald, said the world was witnessing a tectonic change with the phenomenal rise of China and the continued prominence of the US.

“Both countries are important to India and each of the three countries has high stakes in economic ties with the other two,” Kumar said. The kind of three-way relationship between them will be important not only to each of them but to the whole world.