<p class="bodytext">There is a tide in the affairs of nations as well. India has tried to take it as it serves, as seen in its new bonhomie with China in Tianjin in the last few days. It is still at the stage of handshakes between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the tide has been forced by a churn set off by US President Donald Trump’s tariff war. The relationship between India and China has been touted as ancient and civilisational, but modern-day ties have been strained. The Galwan Valley clashes, China’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and its campaigns against India on world forums are well known. However, there has been co-operation and mutual support in areas such as climate change negotiations. The attempt at mending fences may have started before the Trump push, perhaps at the BRICS summit at Kazan last year, when there was acknowledgement that the world’s most populous countries and major economic powers need to maintain better relations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The two leaders have sent out signals that they looked forward to co-operation and better mutual understanding. Modi said India wanted to strengthen relations with China and Xi said he saw the two countries as partners, not rivals, and thought it was the ‘right choice’ for them to work together. Both countries have pledged to expand trade and investment cooperation, a key factor that facilitated the reset in the relationship. A strengthening of the India-China ties can reorder global power equations. With Russia in this mix, the world order may see a major shift.</p>.Explained | India-China trade relations; deficit widens to USD 99.2 billion.<p class="bodytext">To be aligned to a bloc, however, is not in India’s agenda or interest. Its outreach to Beijing should be tactical, and informed by the differences and convergences with China. There is much that can be gained from cooperation, especially in the present geopolitical circumstances. Chinese investments can ease the impact of high US tariffs. But both countries have a long-standing border dispute. China has a big trade surplus with India. There could be conflict of interest involving the two ambitious powers in many areas and in China’s friendship with Pakistan. India should therefore be on its guard. Its engagement with China must be guided by optimism marked with caution. It has in the past suffered from personalising its relations with other countries. That should be a lesson for the future. Beyond personal, leadership-level equations, international and bilateral ties are determined by national interests, which are never static.</p>
<p class="bodytext">There is a tide in the affairs of nations as well. India has tried to take it as it serves, as seen in its new bonhomie with China in Tianjin in the last few days. It is still at the stage of handshakes between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the tide has been forced by a churn set off by US President Donald Trump’s tariff war. The relationship between India and China has been touted as ancient and civilisational, but modern-day ties have been strained. The Galwan Valley clashes, China’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and its campaigns against India on world forums are well known. However, there has been co-operation and mutual support in areas such as climate change negotiations. The attempt at mending fences may have started before the Trump push, perhaps at the BRICS summit at Kazan last year, when there was acknowledgement that the world’s most populous countries and major economic powers need to maintain better relations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The two leaders have sent out signals that they looked forward to co-operation and better mutual understanding. Modi said India wanted to strengthen relations with China and Xi said he saw the two countries as partners, not rivals, and thought it was the ‘right choice’ for them to work together. Both countries have pledged to expand trade and investment cooperation, a key factor that facilitated the reset in the relationship. A strengthening of the India-China ties can reorder global power equations. With Russia in this mix, the world order may see a major shift.</p>.Explained | India-China trade relations; deficit widens to USD 99.2 billion.<p class="bodytext">To be aligned to a bloc, however, is not in India’s agenda or interest. Its outreach to Beijing should be tactical, and informed by the differences and convergences with China. There is much that can be gained from cooperation, especially in the present geopolitical circumstances. Chinese investments can ease the impact of high US tariffs. But both countries have a long-standing border dispute. China has a big trade surplus with India. There could be conflict of interest involving the two ambitious powers in many areas and in China’s friendship with Pakistan. India should therefore be on its guard. Its engagement with China must be guided by optimism marked with caution. It has in the past suffered from personalising its relations with other countries. That should be a lesson for the future. Beyond personal, leadership-level equations, international and bilateral ties are determined by national interests, which are never static.</p>
