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Beijing, August 25
The “complex” India-China ties cannot be defined in “black and white” despite growing regional rivalry between the two countries, state-run Chinese media on Thursday said and called for aligning ‘Make in India’ campaign with ‘Made in China 2025’ to enhance cooperation.
“This year marks an eventful time in China-India relations. At the beginning of the year, Indian media collectively criticised the Chinese government, alleging China adopted double standards against terrorism,” an article in the state-run Global Times said, referring to Beijing putting a technical hold on New Delhi’s bid to bring about a UN ban on Masood Azhar, leader of the Jaish-e-Muhammad militant group.
“In June, India suffered a setback in its bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after the group’s members, including China, opposed the bid but India has singled out China for barring membership,” the article titled ‘China-India relations aren’t simply black and white’ said.
“The move was seen by some as revenge against China over the NSG veto. This series of negative events has caused some observers to assess the China-India relations as simply black and white.”
“It is irrational and impractical to define China-India relations in black and white terms. A multi-dimensional perspective does not contradict the crux of the bilateral relationship,” it said, highlighting the positive outcomes of the 2014 visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China last year.
“In reality, ties between big nations have always been complex and require a multi-dimensional perspective. Viewed in this more rounded way, the conclusion on the China-India relations becomes quite different,” it said.
In terms of economic and trade relations, while trade volume between China and India is less than that between China and Vietnam, China is actually India’s largest trading partner.
“On a global level, close collaboration between the two nations drives bilateral relations where the two economies are complementary. But at the regional level, India and China are competitors,” it said.
While both the countries are equally motivated to promote a fair, reasonable and new international economic order and collaborated in WTO, Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) initiated by BRICS nations, the two are locked in regional rivalry with their strategic projects.
“At the regional level, China and India face competition against each other,” it said.
China’s One Belt, One Road (Silk Road) initiative is being viewed as a challenge to India’s ambition in the South Asia region.
“Yet, the two economies are quite complementary where the scope for further economic cooperation is continuously expanding. The two countries can align China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ and ‘Internet Plus’ with India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. They can also tap potential for practical cooperation in fields such as railways and industrial capacity,” it said. PTI
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