In a major development amidst the Russia Ukraine War, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has visited New Delhi with aspirations of normalising the Sino-India relationship. However, the backdrop in which this visit is taking place has significance and raises many eyebrows. Some argue that due to change in geopolitical settings around Northern Asia and European region, and China, Russia and India closing in together have transpired this visit. A broader understanding behind that deserves merit for discussion so as to ascertain the cause of what actually transpired Chinese FM to visit India.
The Economic Shift
After western allies and United States have bombarded Russia with sanctions, Russia has now been forced to search reliable and alternative economic and trade market, so as to save Russia from economic destabilisation and maintain stability during war. In this endeavor, Russia has shifted towards its most reliable and oldest partners in Asia- India and on the other hand towards China. The trade equation with Russia will surely give India a chance and increase their trade surplus and extract economic benefits thereby contributing it in India’s rise. And consequent of these developments the Chinese as always smell the advantages and possibilities of rise in their neighborhood and now they have decided to land in New Delhi either to extract some profit or ensure meltdown of this rise which India may get from this economic shift of Russia. China is not the only one which aspires to strategically hinder India’s rise- there is one more neighbour on our west- Pakistan. Though Pakistan uses terrorism and unconventional measures against India to ensure the same, but in the recent past we have seen Pakistan-China nexus growing with aspirations to counter India and strategically hinder India’s rise in the global landscape. The Pakistan’s GHQ and Chinese PLA are gradually increasing their cooperation in all the fronts to engage in unrestricted warfare with India.
A Similar Attempt In Past
During Atal Bihari Vajpayee Govt, when India’s economic growth was prospering and India’s GDP was cruising at 8-9 percent, China realizing India’s rise and possible hints of building economic gaps immediately rushed their echelons to New Delhi and presented a wish to improve relations with India. The representation of improving relations with India was not a result of genuine intentions but backdrop transpirations which was aimed towards strategically hinder India or at least keep an eagle watch over the developments in New Delhi. The same attempt is being made today when China again realizing possibilities of India’s rise is deploying diplomatic countermeasures to ensure and control India’s rise by deceptively constructed moves under the name of “normalization of relations”.
The suspiciousness on China’s visit also increases because of the old dictum that China fashionably uses once their strategic or tactical interests gets align with their expectations i.e. Talk Talk Fight Fight or Talk Talk Exploit Exploit game specifically dealing with debt trap diplomacy. What is happening in Indian Ocean region- Sri Lanka witnessing economic devastation and now struggling to survive. Therefore, in summation, Chinese visit is not guided with genuine interests rather with deceptive one to align their strategic interests and extract benefits. It can be said that Chinese FM is another cashing opportunity under the blankets of normalisation of relations with India.
India’s Firm Response
After engaging with China extensively both at diplomatic and military levels India has now realised China’s deceptiveness and dictums that subsequently follows. India maintained its strong stance towards China and cleared its priorities for normalisation of relations. Recently Foreign Minister cleared said, India and China relationship needs to be based on three mutuals- Mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests. If China is ready to follow the three mutual plan then normalisation of relations is possible. Moreover, the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval cleared it out that PLA disengagement at the borders is the sin qua non to look towards normalisation in the relations. With above discussion it is clear that now India is not going to be influenced by these deceptive diplomatic tricks of the Chinese and cleared to Chinese counterparts that if China wish for normalisation, then it starts with her.
Srijan Sharma is pursuing Bachelor’s degree from Delhi University and is a Research Intern at the USI.