MAKING SENSE OF CHINDIA

Reflections on China and India
By Jairam Ramesh

Foreword Strobe Talbott

Indian memories of China have been shaped by the events of 1962. Forty-two years on, it is time to leave the past behind and begin afresh. Relations between India and China have improved rapidly since Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to China in 1989. Since then, ties between the two countries have been cemented at many levels. Jairam Ramesh addresses both the security concerns that continue to mediate the otherwise rapidly improving Sino-Indian relationship and brings to the fore issues that may still pose a problem in the future. The author's intent is to specifically focus on the long-term scenario that may emerge between India and China as their economies develop, complement and compete with each other. He has focused on the role of America in the region, how Western scholars perceive the Sino-Indian relationship and China's changing relationship with Pakistan, amongst other issues. He has also analysed the importance of high-level delegations and Prime-Ministerial visits to each country. He delves into the enormously rich relationship that the two countries shared through Buddhism in the ancient period. Based on the author's extensive reading on the subject, he presents a good overview of the geopolitics of the region and provides for new ways of looking at old problems. Ultimately, the author agrees with Deng Xiaoping when he says, "intractable issues should be kept aside and progress should be made on other fronts". For India and China, this intractable issue is the long-pending border dispute. And here, as the author points out, trust and pragmatism is the key to move forward. Finally, he emphasises how there is no substitute for a peaceful and negotiated settlement of all pending disputes between the two countries.

Trade between China and India crossed the ten billion dollar mark at the end of 2004 and is poised to grow annually. He looks at the huge potential for trade and other forms of economic exchange that exists between India and China, especially under the new WTO regime to which India and more recently, China are signatories. Jairam Ramesh points out how China is far ahead of India in several areas, especially because of its clear policies on labour laws, its openness to FDI and because China has not "remained a prisoner of shibboleths and sterile ideology". He highlights how this changed mindset has pushed China into advance gear while India continues to lag behind in comparison. The comparison here must also be based on the fact that India is a democracy where populist sentiments dominate government discourse. China, on the other hand, has the capacity to initiate policy reform in a unilateral fashion. This can be advantageous and disadvantageous, and the author points out the pros and cons of both in this series of articles. He also points out how India's security concerns often impact foreign investment by China in India and suggests that Indian fears must not derail closer economic integration, especially since China fears no such threat from Indian business. As one of India's original supporters of economic reform, and an economic policy planner for the Government of India, the author is well placed to judge economic policies and strategies for growth in both countries objectively. He points out that China and India controlled world trade in the pre-colonial world, and today, are, once again set to take the lead in this field. Jairam Ramesh sees closer economic cooperation between the two countries as the best way to build trust, friendship and a long and lasting peace between old friends, recent enemies, and now partners in the Asian century. Hence his very apt wordplay with CHINDIA.

Jairam Ramesh also looks at issues that are not directly related to Sino-Indian relations. Instead, they deal with issues within China. His article on Islam and the Islamic minority known as Hui, in China will be an eye-opener for his Indian readers. Jairam points out the important role that Islam has played in Chinese history. Next, he looks at the issue of democracy in China. This issue became especially important after the famous Tiananmen incident of 1989 when Chinese students were gathered in the heart of Beijing demanding democratic freedom. The movement collapsed and many students lost their lives in the bargain. However, today, while the government has made it clear that the Communist Party of China remains in control of the political administrative system, experiments with direct elections for the post of mayors in townships and in cities have been successfully carried out. The author skilfully analyses the future of this process in China. His article on HIV AIDS deals with a problem that both India and China face today. The author points out the necessity of both countries combating this problem on a war footing, and here he gives more credit to China's war on AIDS. His article on China's economic data and the need to critically examine its sources is also timely. He points out how and what we make of China's growth figures colours how we see China's future as an economic power house.

The concluding pieces indicate the extent and interest of the author in his subject and also once again showcase his commitment to the project of CHINDIA.