How change in China can impact India?

 

 

In recent past, a new government in China came into power.  Xi Jinping as General Secretary and President and   Li Keqiang as Premier will be at the helm of affairs in China. Within a week, news has spread like wildfire on the impact of the change in the Chinese political landscape on India.

 

 Few days ago, the Chinese premier refused to discuss about issues pertaining to ties between India and China during his annual conference, claiming that the Indian press has the tendency to exaggerate the differences between the two countries. 

 

This goes to show that China is keen on strengthening its relations with India, and it does not want to jeopardize the relationship by revealing information to the media. This is a firm decision taken by China, which will prove to be effective in time to come.

 

The new Chinese government will be taking a new approach on two issues pertaining to India – Tibet and trade. The Communist Party of China has appointed a new leader for the United Front Work Department, who will look into the Tibet policy and will be responsible for the talks with the Dalai Lama. 

 

Over the years, the focus of India’s foreign policies and defense policies have shifted from Pakistan to China, and Tibet occupies a central position in the Sino-India relations. With the new Chinese government focused on improving its relations with Tibet, it is hoped that the relation between China and India will also strengthen as a result.

 

In 2012, India saw close to 13 percent decline in the trade with China. To ensure that bilateral trade between the two countries is stable, the new Chinese government is encouraging more Indian companies to invest in China.

 

According to the Work Report compiled by the Communist Party of China, China will be expanding two sectors in the next five years - healthcare and information technology. This will definitely open up new business opportunities for Indian investors. 

 

According to Hu Shisheng, a South Asia scholar at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), China’s relations with India will be more stable under the new Chinese leadership because of the inclusive nature of the current government.

 

Instead of having a firm stance on regional and international issues, which was evident in the previous governments of China, the current government is more open to holding talks and discussions to resolve problems. This will definitely change the dynamics of Sino-India relations.

 

The new government is open to communicating its plans and ideas with its new neighbors, and this will be helpful for the region. In the last decade, many neighbors of China had voiced their concerns over the lack of communication by the Chinese government on new projects being implemented in the region.

 

Recently, the Chinese government announced that it is planning to build a hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra River. It also assured India that the construction will not have a negative impact on India’s ecological system. Compared to the former government, the current government is more responsible and sensitive towards the issues of its neighboring countries.

 

 In fact, to ensure that there is no miscommunication, India and China have established a working group mechanism that allows data to be shared between the two countries on water flows and trans-border rivers.

 

The new Chinese government is sure to take the Sino-India relations to great heights. To ensure that both the countries maintain cordial relations, it is important for the Indian media to act responsibly as any carelessness on their part can put an end to the blossoming relationship between the two great powers in the region.