Saturday, June 22, 2013

Li offered only assurances

The new Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s first visit to India after assuming power happened in the shadow of Depsang incursion by Chinese troops. He concluded his visit without offering anything of substance on the table.

By Vinod Varshney
During last few years Chinese attitude has become more and more hostile towards Indian interests. It made every attempt to see India does not enter in the United Nations Security Council and opposed Indian entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group despite its unquestionable non-proliferation record. China has refused to even clarify the line of actual control not to say of moving ahead to resolve the boundary question. China gives stapled visa to Indians from Arunachal Pradesh and has reduced the length of Indo-China border by not counting the border along Kashmir. Its missile and nuclear cooperation with Pakistan is on the rise. While Delhi acknowledges China's sovereignty over Tibet, Beijing's position on J&K has become increasingly hostile to India. The precept that improved trade relations with China would reduce its hostility towards India has proved wrong. India’s trade with China rose from $2.1 bn in 2001-02 to $75.6 bn in 2011-12. But what is the result? This rising trade is grossly unfavourable to India offering it a trade deficit of $ 40.7 b in 2012-13.
      The huge dumping of Chinese goods in India has hurt Indian manufacturing growth. There are trade restrictions on Indian IT and Pharma companies in China and thus it becomes difficult to increase exports to China. Even export of buffalo meat was not allowed. Now it has been decided to reduce the trade imbalance. The agreements will now allow India to export buffalo meat, fisheries and pharmaceuticals and also feed and feed ingredients. In the joint statement the trade turnover target has been pegged at $ 100 billion by 2015. The Chinese assurance is that efforts would be made to address the issue of trade imbalance.
      On the boundary issue it has been decided that our Special Representatives would meet in a month’s time to speed up the process of resolution of boundary tussle. India first of all wants clarity on the line of actual control. Will China do it? The ambiguity is used for repeated incursions. China and India have already exchanged maps in the middle sector and have shown maps in the western sector. China wants border management agreement with the condition that India would not make any defence preparedness on its side no matter China has already made extensive preparations at the boder. Chinese leader Li Keqiang wanted support from India on its claim on islands in South China Sea, but Manmohan Singh reminded him that there were already international laws to take care of the issue and refused to support Chinese contention.
( The Article was first published in the monthly magazine of political affairs the ' Lokayat' (June, 2013 issue) 

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