The current momentum of bilateral relationship between India and China has not come easily and needs to be cherished, despite geopolitical differences. Explain (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
Brief Background
· The first phase is the joint proposal of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in the Bandung Conference, guiding its agenda.
· In the second phase, after the border conflict in 1962, China-India relations fell into a fell into a “frozen period”.
· The third phase, the 1990s is the “recovery period” in which the two countries promoted reform through mutual learning and pushed for a complete settlement of the issues of Tibet and Sikkim.
· The fourth phase, until the present, is the “acceleration period, the present Government put huge efforts into bilateral relations.
Geo-political differences
· Difference of opinion over Belt road initiative.
· China’s domination over South Asia
· China’s increasing hold over Indian Ocean Region.
· China blocking India’s membership in Nuclear suppliers group
Cherishing the Bilateral relationship
· In 1981, China and India resumed yatra for official Indian pilgrims to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, Tibet, China.
· In 2006, China and India reopened the Nathu La border trade route which had been closed for 44 years.
· Opening a new chapter of the bilateral relations during the BRICS Xiamen summit in September 2017.
· Both countries first historic informal meeting in Wuhan in April 2018.
People-people interactions
· The total number of Indian students studying in China is over 20,000. Chinese food, acupuncture, martial arts and movie stars are increasingly popular in India.
· Yoga, Darjeeling tea are fashionable among Chinese youth. Yunnan Minzu University of China became the first university out of India to award Master’s degree in yoga.
Business interactions
· Chinese companies are doing business in India and Chinese mobile phone brands such as Xiaomi, VIVO and OPPO have represented half of the Indian market.
· The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) of India has established three IT corridors in Dalian, Guizhou and Xuzhou.
Multilateral cooperations
Members of multilateral organisations such as BRICS, SCO, the G20, etc., both China and India share common interests in promoting globalisation and opposing trade protectionism.
