AA Edit | How Far to Go About Ties with China is India’s Call

It is a given in the world of diplomacy that talks with China will invariably stretch out and last longer, while the pace of action will be slower than may be the case when it comes to talks leading to action after interaction with other powers.

What could be derived from a recent meeting between India’s NSA Ajit Doval and China’s Wang Yi before the meeting of BRICS NSAs in New Delhi is that China is keen on pushing India for speedier action regarding the resumption of dialogue mechanisms at all levels and the promotion of exchanges in different fields.

The impression gained since ties saw a dramatic upsurge after an SCO interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping took place in August last year, and border tensions declined noticeably afterwards, was that China has been chafing at the reins a bit while India appears intent on proceeding more deliberately. This difference in the pace of actions since the resetting of ties is a clear enough indicator that a degree of trust deficit still exists.

There is no denying that the work of normalising relations, which had hit a nadir after the Eastern Ladakh skirmish and standoff, is continuing. But China is unable to understand India’s reasoning that the border issue can be placed in “an appropriate position”, meaning it can be kept aside while exchanges in trade, investment and media can be placed on a fast track. For China, this is not convincing enough for upscaling ties in every other field.

It would not have escaped attention that a lengthier Chinese readout of the Doval-Wang meeting sounded far more positive about the need for both countries to get moving and even contained reassuring words enunciating the principle that India, an important neighbour, and China are partners and not rivals.

Mr Wang may have expressed that well enough in saying, “Efforts should also be made to actively guide all sectors of society to form correct perceptions, building a solid foundation of public opinion and social support for the improvement of relations between the two countries.” Nothing could have been lost in translation in such direct messaging.

However, a more prosaic and formulaic comment on “constructive and forward-looking” discussions having taken place came from the Indian side, indicating a gap in intentions.

In an ideal world, the two most populous nations could find ways to assist each other’s development by cooperating while also being able to push the Global South to accelerate its modernisation process. But in this regard, a few problems, such as the chokehold on rare earths, minerals and fertilisers exerted by China, must be spoken about and resolved if the deficit of trust is to be bridged.

Both nations are proud of their links with the Global South, whose voice they would like to strengthen in more universal forums. But the basics of the India-China relationship, which is still very much a work in progress, must be attended to, perhaps at another Modi-Xi meeting during the BRICS summit, if the desire for an active Indian role in conjunction with China’s is to fructify.